Accidentally in Love
by keylee
Summary: His wife was killed in a raid. Her husband banished her. Their kids hate each other and are bitter enemies, while they're falling in love. This is the story of Hakoda and Ursa; as well as the futures of Zuko, Katara, and Sokka. Pre-S1 through post-Finale
1. The Great Divide!

**Hey gaang, this fic is titled after Counting Crows' song: Accidentally in Love, but this story isn't as happy-peppy as the song...just to let you know. For those who don't know, Hakursa HAKODAxURSA. Yep yep.**

**It'll have about eight chapters, so I hope you enjoy it! (lots of Kazuko/BFF!Zutara later on, I promise!)**

**No...I don't own Avatar ;; **

_Ursa hurried towards the end of the dark corridor. She knew she was forbidden from saying her farewells to anyone, but she stubbornly made an exception for the one person whom she loved most in this world. She promised herself that she would not leave unless she had at least told him goodbye._

_Opening the large door, she desperately fought back tears. Would this be the last time she ever saw him? Ursa shook the thoughts and tears away; she had to remain strong._

_She shuffled silently over to his bed and lightly touched him on his shoulder. He had been sleeping peacefully; completely unaware at how much his life was about to change. _

"_Mom?"_

"_Please Zuko, my love, listen to me," Ursa rushed on, for she knew she had little time left…_

"_Everything I've done, I've done to protect you," she hugged him tightly, as though she would never let him go. Her panic drove her on, however, so she reluctantly released him and held his shoulders gently. She looked at him squarely in the eyes; never wanting to forget the sweet innocence she had come to know so well on his young face. _

"_Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change…__**never forget who you are**__."_

_A feeling of endless despair washed over her as she slowly released Zuko from her gentle grasp. His head drooped sleepily as she turned around and put up her cloak. With a sad, parting smile, she exited the room and shut the door softly behind her._

_As Ursa hurried back through the abandoned hallways, she silently pleaded the spirits to allow her to exit the palace unnoticed. Only two living souls knew of what had occurred just a few short hours ago, and she had been harshly reminded to stay out of sight and leave without a trace._

_Of course, she had already broken that command by saying goodbye to Zuko. But…he was just a child…he couldn't possibly be able to comprehend all of what Ursa had told him. And banished or not, Ursa refused to let her punishment get in the way of the deep love she felt for her first and only son. Azula hadn't even crossed her mind…_

_She quickly rounded a corner, and was nearly home free; she could easily make out the palace's large entrance just a few hundred feet away. Just when Ursa thought it was safe to sigh with relief, the dark figure of a person appeared out of the shadows and caught her by the wrists. She muffled a scream and shook terribly as the figure raised its head from under its cloak._

_All of the possible consequences immediately began flashing through Ursa's mind. Was she going to be kidnapped? If it was just a servant or guard, would she be arrested for failing to leave the palace under cover? Would Ozai send her to die in the frozen wastelands where the Water Tribes were located for lingering at the palace for too long? _

_She held her breath steady as the figure raised its head and at once, their eyes met. Ursa's fleeting panic went to silent, seething rage. Both of their golden pairs of eyes were locked in a seemingly endless glare of pure hatred._

"_I do not remember instructing you to say goodbye to the boy," Ozai hissed in a low tone._

_Ursa bit her lip and resisted an angry retort. Ozai was due to be crowned Firelord today…one wrong word and he could order her execution immediately. Instead, she stood back and bowed respectfully._

"_My apologies…" Ursa knew she should have stopped at that, but her fury was out of her control at this point, and there was no more use in hiding it. "If I may speak, I daresay banishment is quite a harsh punishment for your dearly beloved."_

_Ozai carefully calculated her words and after a few moments, he smirked. Inside, Ursa groaned, for she knew her husband well enough to know that the smirk was not something to be joyful about._

"_Indeed. However…" Ozai's head tilted up; he was now glancing upon the crown he had given her in honor of their bondage of marriage. Ursa's eyes widened in shock and she felt herself protectively reaching for her crown _

"_You wouldn't…" Ursa breathed in horror._

_But Ozai frowned deeply. "It must be done."_

_Ursa was wild with hatred by now, but she still forced herself to submit to the new Firelord's will. She shakily reached up and felt the crown. The gold was cold and smooth to the touch; supposedly a symbol of their marriage. Her hand still trembled as she quietly handed it back to Ozai._

_Ozai didn't waste any time. The instant she gave him the crown, he spent merely a few seconds glancing it over, as though he was remembering the days back when he had given this to her…a time when they were actually…_happy_…_

_For a split second, Ursa thought he would give it back. But she shouldn't have raised her hopes; Ozai scowled angrily and threw it onto the palace floor with brutal force. There lay the symbol of their marriage: shattered into hundreds of tiny, golden pieces._

"_It's over," Ozai stated so coldly that he didn't even sound human anymore. Ursa was slightly fearful now…not for her own safety, but her kids…leaving them with this man couldn't possibly be a good thing for them…right? _

"_Goodbye Ursa," Ozai dismissed her without any signs of regret or even the least bit of sadness. He pulled his cloak over his head and began walking in the opposite direction._

_Ursa closed her eyes and bit her lip so hard that she was sure she had tasted an outburst of blood in her mouth. Any rebelling would be met with cruel retribution, she knew, but her hatred for Ozai was overwhelming her._

_She turned to face him one last time, her icy glare pierced through the departing man's back._

"_Goodbye…Firelord Ozai."_

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Sokka marched on, his face painted and ready for battle. He was prepared this time; prepared to go with the men of his tribe to fight the ruthless Fire Nation. _

_He struggled with the sleeping bag, but he wouldn't show how heavy it was. After all, Sokka was a strong warrior now._

_Quietly, he approached Hakoda. His father turned around from helping one of the other warriors with loading the ship and walked towards his son. _

"_Sokka…"_

"_I'm coming with you," Sokka stated plainly, as though he would not allow Hakoda to tell him no._

_Still, as much as he was secretly hoping for a better response, Hakoda's words didn't surprise him._

"_You're not old enough to go to war, Sokka, you know that,"_

"_I'm strong, I'm brave…" Sokka pleaded his father. "I can fight! Please Dad…"_

"_Being a man is knowing where you're needed the most, and for you right now that's here protecting your sister."_

_Hakoda's words stung and Sokka felt ashamed to see his own eyes watering._

"_I don't understand," his voice quavered as he felt himself shake slightly._

"_Someday you will," Hakoda opened his arms as Sokka dropped his sleeping bag and launched into a hug. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't care at this point. _

_After Sokka released, he walked miserably up to a snowy enclosed area that overlooked the village and the ships in the ocean. Hakoda frowned sadly as Sokka plopped down into the snow and sulked by himself._

_Shaking his head, Hakoda walked back to the village so he could say goodbye to Katara. He knew that she was still greatly upset about Kya's death a few years earlier, but Hakoda had no choice but to leave. He was the chief; he had to lead his men whether his only daughter liked it or not. Besides, Katara always had Sokka and Kana, right?_

_He entered the igloo-like structure and found Katara at the back, facing the wall. _

"_Katara?"_

_She stubbornly refused to turn around. Hakoda couldn't see it, but tears were streaming down her face. Katara didn't speak, and she still remained sitting with her back to Hakoda._

"_Goodbye Katara. You know that love you…and I'll miss you more than you'll ever know…"_

_His words couldn't persuade her to turn around. A stabbing sense of guilt rushed over both of them, but Katara held her position, and Hakoda didn't force her to speak directly to him._

"_Goodbye," she whispered emotionlessly. When she heard the crunching of Hakoda's boots walking away through the snow, she threw herself onto her cot and cried into the furry blanket._

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hakoda sighed as he trudged along a wooden deck. He and his men had just wasted yet another day searching for fresh supplies in _yet another_ seedy Earth Kingdom port. He half wondered what was wrong with the Earth Kingdom; it seemed as though they had given up on regulating trade between the pirates and other nations.

Then again, it was really his first time out of Southern Water Tribe waters…maybe he was just overreacting? Either case, he didn't appreciate having to deal with suspiciously friendly pirates all day just to get something edible for his men to feast on. They were supposed to be out fighting the Fire Nation, not untrustworthy merchants!

Finally, they spotted a semi-normal-looking man pushing a cart of green vegetables.

"Fresh cabbages! Finest cabbages in all the Earth Kingdom!" the man yelled out in a joyous tone. He wore a strange looking green hat, and even stranger looking gray beard. Hakoda shrugged, figuring cabbages were better than eating nothing at all. He trudged over to the cart and motioned for the merchant to sell him twelve cabbages.

Just as the greedy merchant was about to take Hakoda's money, the entire cart caught fire. The Water Tribe men all jumped around in shock, but none of them more shocked than the poor merchant himself.

"MY CABBAGES!" He yelled as he jumped around in panic and held his head tightly, almost as though it would fall off. Meanwhile, his once-fresh produce was now blackening and erupting into tiny balls of fire.

Down at the end of the dock, a young boy, perhaps no older than fourteen or so, was fighting a gang of pirates almost singlehandedly. They were all yelling and rioting in a circle around him, but on the outside, a group of Fire Nation soldiers were attempting to break in and assist the boy. He angrily shooed them away, and shot a blast of fire around at the rioters.

"A firebender…" Hakoda breathed with a mix of awe and hatred. He had never actually seen a real firebender before, but he knew all about them. Apparently the boy had misfired, which led to the destruction of the now-hysterical merchant's cabbage cart.

What appeared to be the leader of the pirates was in one to one combat with the young boy; he wielded dual swords against the young teenager's fiery attacks.

Hakoda wasn't sure whom he wanted to win the fight. He knew he was supposed to hate the Fire Nation, and that boy looked like a real jerk. But he also hated the pirates for directly trying to scam his men out of all of their money and supplies.

He shrugged it off, figuring that if they both killed each other, then he wouldn't need to worry about the survivor.

He turned and faced his men, who were, unsurprisingly, still watching the brawl. They, too, had never seen a firebender in action before, and this was proving to be quite a spectacle.

From the looks of it, the boy was winning; but just barely. And older man, also dressed in Fire Nation attire, was trying to break up the fight before someone was injured.

"Prince Zuko, really…"

None of the pirates would let the old man through, however. The jeered the irritated boy on, and he fought harder the more taunting he received.

"Who is that kid?" Hakoda asked nobody in particular. His eyes were trained on the way that the kid fought; he studied his movements so he would be prepared against other firebender attacks in the future. Hakoda observed that firebenders were very aggressive; every attack the boy made was a strike or a punch of fire. But never did he focus on defending himself, Hakoda noted with a hint of satisfaction. Three weeks out, and he had already discovered the enemy's weakness.

"That's Prince Zuko," a voice came out of nowhere. Hakoda darted his eyes to the sound of the voice, and found an old woman standing next to him, also watching the fight from a distance.

"Prince?" Hakoda snorted. He had heard of the Firelord of course, but they have other titles for the Royal Family as well?

_Ridiculous, _Hakoda thought silently; glad that his children weren't forced to have absurd titles like Fire Nation children did just to feel more superior to others.

"Son of the Firelord," the woman's voice lowered to a barely audible whisper. "I've heard some _crazy _rumors about that kid…"

Hakoda managed to take his eyes away from the growing scuffle and looked at her inquisitively.

"I know people living in the Fire Nation… they say the boy was banished by his own father."

Hakoda wasn't sure how he should reply to that. Honestly, he could care less about the boy's family issues and past as long as he didn't do anything to harm him and his men.

As he was fighting, suddenly that Zuko guy turned around, revealing a terrible burn scar over his left eye. Hakoda gasped; half in horror, half in disgust. He heard his men muttering and hissing to each other behind him.

"If rumors hold true…his father did that," the lady commented tonelessly, her eyes still trained on the fight between Prince Zuko and the lead pirate.

Hakoda felt a repulsive twinge of sorrow for the boy. He tried to fight back any feeling of sympathy he had for a _Fire Nation_ boy, but he truly wondered what kind of dreadful father would do such a thing.

He would never even lay a finger on Sokka or Katara. Hakoda gulped nervously, knowing that if the Firelord was truly that evil, then the war wasn't going to come to an end anytime soon.

Kana used to tell him the stories of the great Avatar, master of all the elements…only he could defeat this evil man, but he'd been missing for almost one hundred years by now. Perhaps he had died and was never reincarnated…the airbenders had all been wiped out decades ago, supposedly during Firelord Sozin's reign. Maybe the Avatar had died along with them? Even if he hadn't died during the genocide of the Air Nomads, the chances of him returning were still very slim.

Hakoda immediately felt sickened by all this new information and signaled his men to ignore the fight and get back to the ships. They had a long journey ahead of them.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hakoda walked up to the edge of the cliff and stared into the vast canyon below. Here he was, the Great Divide. It was known for being the biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom.

To Hakoda, it was just a seemingly endless plain full of nothing but dirt and wild bugs. Sure, it was beautiful, but he wasn't going to enjoy this long trek away from his tribesmen.

The others had taken the long route, by water, to the next stop on their voyage. Hakoda, however, had volunteered to take the shortcut through this canyon, thus ensuring that he would be the first to arrive at the bay where they would make port with all of the Water Tribe ships. The reason they needed someone to scout ahead was to make sure that there were no Fire Nation ships waiting to ambush them on the other side. If there were, Hakoda would be able to warn his men in time and they would be able to escape before getting caught and arrested.

The canyon guide would arrive any moment now. One of the men in this group of around forty people had been through the Great Divide before. He said the journey took about two days on foot. It was at that point that Hakoda wished someone else had volunteered for this task. He much rather preferred the sea to trekking over land.

But he would not disappoint his men. He sighed wearily as the canyon guide appeared from behind a giant boulder.

"Remember everyone, _no food is allowed within the canyon!_ It attracts canyon crawlers, and we don't want that!" he added with a chortle. "So eat up while you can!"

Great. Two days without food. Hakoda grunted as he watched a group of people clad in vibrant green clothing stuffing themselves with loaves of stale looking bread and rice. Off to the side, a woman in ugly brown clothing sat alone; halfheartedly munching at the rice a boy from the main Earth Kingdom group had offered her. Hakoda stifled a snort of laughter as she spit out the foul looking food and grimaced into the bowl. At least he wasn't the only one who didn't particularly care for Earth Kingdom food around here.

As the canyon guide hollered for everyone to gather around, Hakoda watched the woman get up and nonchalantly walk over as though she had crossed this canyon a million times. She was slightly tall for a woman, and her long black hair flowed freely behind her. She clearly wasn't Water Tribe, so Hakoda figured that he was the only non-Earth Kingdom member of the group. Not that he minded, he just felt awkward with all of these people who talked about nothing but Ba Sing Se and earthbending.

The guide was an earthbender himself, but not a master by any means. Even a nonbender such as Hakoda could see that. Still, if he kept the group safe, then it really didn't matter how skilled he was.

The journey was long and monotonous; Hakoda found himself wishing that just _something_ would happen. Nothing bad, but he needed some action. He wasn't used to just walking like this, usually he was training or fighting with the other warriors in his tribe.

Suddenly, it looked as though Hakoda would get his wish. A gigantic spider-like creature exploded out of the rocky wall above the crowd of people. It didn't attack them, but it created a powerful landslide that was headed for the women at the back of the group. The creature went on its way, as though it didn't even sense the humans beneath it.

However, the people began screaming as they darted to the sides to safety. Hakoda ran over to help them, but he couldn't get past the wall of raining rocks without getting crushed to death. It looked like all of them had made it out safely anyways…

Hakoda suddenly noticed one of the women still trapped against the wall of the cliff. He groaned inwardly as boulders began falling all around them. Part of him wondered what in the world their "guide" was doing at the moment…

_She's…not going to make it,_ Hakoda thought in horror. Without wasting any time, he ran blindly into the path of the landslide and tried to find the trapped woman. After a second or two, he spotted her.

"Watch out!" he launched himself at her and threw the two of them to safety. Rocks instantly poured down on where they were just standing seconds earlier; they definitely would have been crushed to death had Hakoda waited a second longer.

They rolled over in the air and he landed just next to her; his body shielding hers from any falling debris.

"What are you doing?" She asked in shock.

"Keeping rocks from crushing you," Hakoda replied seriously. Suddenly, he recognized her as the woman in the brown clothing who didn't like the rice back at camp. He tried to smile and was about to ask if she was alright, but she immediately interrupted him.

"Okay, I'm not crushed, you can get off me now," she looked terribly embarrassed, and she quickly jumped up and ran back to the group.

Hakoda sighed. "I'll take that as a thank you."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hakoda sat listlessly inside of his ragged Water Tribe tent. The rest of the group was outside sitting around the campfire and sharing crazy stories about life in the Earth Kingdom, but he just didn't feel like joining them tonight. They wouldn't understand his fascinating Water Tribe stories anyways.

Suddenly, the flap of the tent opened and none other but the woman in brown entered. Her faced immediately flushed a deep red against her pale skin and she was speechless for a few moments.

Hakoda stared at her smugly, as though he thought that she had come here to apologize for being rude to him after he saved her life earlier.

"Oops. Wrong tent," still blushing, she tried to leave, but Hakoda made a grab for her wrist and held her back.

Her eyes flashed angrily as she tried to escape his grasp. "Let go of me."

Hakoda's cold blue eyes glared softly into hers, and for the first time, he realized that her eyes weren't green or brown like Earth Kingdom people usually had, but…_golden._

"Wait," he released her wrist and looked at her curiously.

She held her arm close to her and pondered for a moment whether or not she should remain here. This man was obviously from one of the Water Tribes, she could easily tell from the shades of blue on his clothing and in his eyes.

She heard the commoners roaring with laughter outside; she would either join them or this guy in front of her.

Hakoda smiled uncertainly as she finally sat down.

"You're not from around here are you?" she asked inquisitively. She already knew the answer, but she'd rather him tell her himself.

"Ah," Hakoda caught himself for a moment, and then shrugged the oddly suspicious feeling off. She was just an ordinary Earth Kingdom woman; he didn't need to be paranoid or anything.

"I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. My name is Hakoda…ah, _Chief _Hakoda," he added, clearly pleased about his title.

The woman's hard expression softened as she smiled. "Nice to meet you Chief Hakoda. My name is…Ursa."

Hakoda noticed her look away; Ursa silently begged the spirits that he wouldn't recognize her name.

"Where are you from? That doesn't sound like a name I've heard before…"

"I'm from the Earth Kingdom," she replied almost too quickly, looking at him once more. I'm…sorry for being so…rude earlier, it's just that…"

Hakoda smiled. "That's okay. I just don't want anyone to get hurt. We have enough pain and suffering due to the war…"

He trailed off, trying to think of something to change the subject. "So…you're not an earthbender then?"

She laughed. "Oh Spirits, no…are you a waterbender?"

Hakoda shook his head and added quietly. "No…my daughter is, though."

Her eyes widened, as though she were surprised that he would reveal such information to a near-stranger. Of course, Hakoda didn't know about her true identity…not that she would turn in someone to the Fire Nation for being a waterbender…she had heard enough horror stories about their punishment in the past…

"Is your wife a waterbender then?"

Hakoda's eyes lowered. "No…she wasn't…"

"Wasn't…?"

"She was killed…in a Fire Nation raid…a few years ago."

Hakoda noticed the woman sigh sadly.

"That's terrible…I'm sorry for your loss."

"My daughter is the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe," Hakoda continued. "My son, Sokka, he's excellent with weapons, but he's not a bender either…" He trailed off, knowing that he had told Ursa enough now. It was her turn to talk about herself.

"So, do you have any kids?"

A small smile jerked at her lips. "I have a son and a daughter…both benders."

Hakoda was clearly impressed. "So your husband's the earthbender in the family?"

She looked at him quizzically for a moment, and then shook her confusion away. "Yes…he's a great master bender."

Immediately, Hakoda noted that her last statement sounded quite bitter, as though she was…ashamed of her husband? But why would she be…?

"So where is your family?" he asked kindly.

"Oh…well, I…" she continued stuttering, as though she couldn't find the right words. "I can't go back home. My husband…we were formally separated three years ago. I haven't seen him or my children in over three years now…because of the war…"

_That's sort of the truth,_ Ursa thought miserably.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The next morning, after a nice evening of talking to the Water Tribe man, Ursa awoke with the sun, as usual. She was the first one up in the camp, and she collapsed her own tent before going to help the late-risers with their own tents.

She hadn't told Hakoda of her true identity; she knew she would be immediately attacked and maybe even arrested if people knew who she really was.

However, Ozai had kept her banishment very secretive; it was not as though many people outside of the Fire Nation would be wondering what had happened to the Firelord's wife. So she would remain as Ursa, the Earth Kingdom woman until she managed to get back into the Fire Nation.

She noticed Hakoda leave his tent, and smiled when he waved good morning to her.

"You sure wake up early," he commented as he walked over to help her tie up her belongings.

"I always wake when the sun rises…odd habit I guess," she added as she accidentally dropped a small frame onto the ground.

Hakoda brushed off the dirt and handed it to her. "What is that?"

Ursa fondly looked at the picture for what seemed like the millionth time since her banishment. It had faded slightly during her travels, but it was still perfectly distinguishable.

"It's my son," she said proudly. "He was eleven years old here…he must look so different now."

Ursa's delighted, motherly smile drooped into a small frown. Hakoda could see how much she loved the boy. Almost made him wonder why she didn't take him with her when she was forced to leave her home…

"ALL RIGHTY THEN!" The canyon guide roared over the campsite. "Time to go everyone!"

Before Hakoda could ask anymore questions, such as why the boy wore such unusual clothing and hairstyle, Ursa disappeared into the masses and he felt himself jostled along with the rest of the group up a narrow cliff.

The main group was chattering together, as usual; and Hakoda spotted Ursa up ahead, walking by herself.

He caught up with her and grinned. "Hey, I've only been at sea for a month, I can't smell _that_ bad," he joked.

Ursa smiled at his witty, though somewhat annoying sense of humor. "Sorry…"

They were silent for a while, until Hakoda decided to get her talking again. "So…when do you think the war will be over?"

Ursa frowned. "I wasn't under the impression that any nation would be able to overcome the Fire Nation."

Hakoda looked at her. Was she serious?

"Are you saying that the war won't end?"

"I'm not sure…" Ursa trailed off. Knowing Ozai, the war was _far_ from over. "I'm trying to be realistic. I mean, the Avatar's long gone, and the current Firelord is more evil than the ones before him. There's no way to defeat the Fire Nation without an excessive loss of life."

Hakoda felt her words sting. As much as he wanted to tell her that she was wrong, _dead wrong;_ that they _would_ defeat the Fire Nation eventually…she was right.

"Maybe the Avatar will return," Hakoda mused, glancing at Ursa out of the corner of his eye for her reaction.

She sighed wretchedly. "Firelord Sozin killed all of the Air Nomads. They never did anything to him, and he killed them. There are no more Air Nomads, so how can there be an Avatar?"

A look of passionate rage passed over Ursa's normally calm face.

"I'm not getting my hopes up for the Avatar coming back," Ursa finally said.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Finally, the two days of foodless travel had finally come to an end. Ursa had sincerely enjoyed Hakoda's company; she couldn't remember the last time she had an actual conversation with someone. Usually she just kept to herself during her years of banishment. But she was glad for someone to finally talk to.

Unfortunately, it was time for them to part ways. Hakoda was heading south for the ocean, but Ursa was heading north, for Ba Sing Se. She couldn't believe that she was going to miss him; her, a Fire Nation woman, feeling sad that she had to leave a Water Tribe man. It would have seemed ridiculous back when she was still living in the Fire Nation, but nowadays Ursa didn't find it so strange. She had met people from all of the nations by now, excluding the Air Nomads, of course.

As she gathered her belongings onto her back, she noticed Hakoda walking towards her. He, too, was packed up and obviously ready for departure, but he had taken the time to say goodbye to her.

"It was nice meeting you, Chief Hakoda," Ursa said, respecting his title as Chief.

Hakoda laughed. "You can just call me Hakoda. But yes, thank you for brightening my journey as well. You are a fascinating person."

Suddenly, Hakoda reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden carving. "I made this for you last night."

Ursa took it from him and smile curiously. "It's a bear."

Hakoda sighed humorously. "Actually, it's supposed to be a fish."

He rotated it around in her hand for her, and Ursa noticed that it was indeed a fish. She looked up at the Water Tribe man and smiled tranquilly.

"Thank you. Safe travels, Hakoda."

The two waved goodbye; sadly aware of the fact that their paths would probably never cross again.

**How'd you guys like it? Why yes, I DID steal tons of dialogue from the actual show! ;) **

**I love reviews, so feel free to share your thoughts/comments/questions :D**


	2. The Mark of the Trusted

**Hey gaang! Wow I'm surprised at how many people commented on the first chapter! I'm glad you all like it! (I wouldn't mind more of those reivews, of course :D ) Anyways, this chapter is slightly more, um...depressing. Yeah, sorry about that, but that's the price you pay for dramatic romances, no? ;)**

**Enjoy!**

_Tamerlee's Tea…Tamerlee's Tea…_

Ursa repeated the name of the tea shop over and over in her head. If she couldn't find it, then she might as well say goodbye to her future life in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se.

Seven months ago, Ursa had made it to this magnificent city in one piece. It had been a tough journey, but with the help of friendly and hospitable people along her route, she had managed to get here. For two months, she had struggled to make any kind of living wage in the Lower Ring of the city. She had tried every type of job there was, from cleaning apartments to serving tea. In the end, she had decided that serving tea was a nice way to make some money, and she had stuck it out with a small shop called Meng's Gardens.

It had been boring and she had been given brutally low pay, but with her perseverance, she had eventually been promoted to serve tea in a cozy place in the Middle Ring.

However, there was one slight problem: she couldn't find the Agni forsaken place! Ursa passed by several financial institutions and libraries, but rarely did she see a tea shop. When she did, it was not the right one, so she quickly passed on.

Her former manager at Meng's Gardens had been a polite old woman named Sheni. She had treated Ursa well and had even given her discounted rent on a spare bedroom in the apartment above the shop. It was also with Sheni's help that Ursa found a job in the Middle Ring. Sheni's cousin, Nael Lee owned Tamerlee's Tea Shop with his wife, and at Sheni's recommendation, he offered Ursa fulltime work as a tea server in his expansive shop.

At last, Ursa spotted a ragged old sign sporting the name "Tamerlee's Tea" in brown lettering. She proceeded inside; careful not to tread on her new green Earth Kingdom attire that she had spent weeks saving for and had bought just for this special occasion.

A stout old man stood at the back of the deserted place; grumpily wiping the grime off of an old tea pot.

"Master Lee?" Ursa approached him from behind.

She jumped back in surprise as the man whirled around to face her. He didn't look like the kind man Sheni had told her about; in fact, this guy looked as though he had just crawled out of a trash heap in the Lower Ring. Ursa resisted the strong urge to hold her nose against his sour stench, and what little hair he had left on his balding head was matted and filthy brown. He also had not shaved in a few weeks; a scraggly beard grew from all areas of his chin, and a musty black mustache nearly overlapped his mouth.

"What do you want? We're closed, can't you read the sign?" he asked her irritably.

"I'm looking for Master Lee," Ursa stated plainly, as though she were talking to a small child.

"Lee?" the man limped back and forth behind the counter; once he stopped, he slammed his fist onto the wall, startling Ursa yet again.

"Lee's gone. Evicted. Couldn't pay rent so the Dai Lee took him and his woman away yesterday mornin'."

"What?" Ursa choked. "But…I was…I was sent here to work as a tea server for him!"

The haggard old fellow regarded her carefully for a moment, then grinned. His teeth were pale yellow and bits of meat were lodged in between his gums. Ursa grimaced again and held back a much-needed lecture about regularly cleaning one's teeth.

"Ya know, I'm taking over this here shop…seeing that all the other workers left with Lee, I could use someone like you. Welcome aboard," he held out a grimy hand and nodded for Ursa to shake it. Moaning inwardly, Ursa barely touched it and immediately withdrew her hand. He tossed her an old apron that was covered in holes and motioned for her to get to work.

She already hated her new job.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"Woman! The young ladies at the far end table still haven't gotten their jasmine tea! What is taking you so long?"

From the main tea brewing area in the very rear of the shop, Ursa bit back a furious retort. Three weeks she had endured this crazy man's insults and persistent badgering. He was rude, filthy, and lazy. And there was nothing Ursa could do about it. The only good thing about him was that he never paid her more than two weeks late. Usually it was only one week late.

But even with slightly increased pay, Ursa found herself missing her old job in the Lower Ring. At least Sheni had respected her as a person; this guy refused to call her anything but "Woman" and "You." He also didn't put up with any mistakes. If Ursa slipped up, she would pay the price by losing an entire day's wage. If _he_ slipped up, he would blame her and make her fix it for him.

Life was so different here than in the Fire Nation. Back home, she had had servants serve her tea. Here, she served other commoners their tea. Never, ever did she treat her servants as terrible as her current manager treated her, however.

It took every ounce of her patience not to lash out at the man every time he yelled at her. As she shuffled along to serve the sassy university girls their jasmine tea, she noticed someone sitting alone at the very front of the tea shop. Someone quite familiar…

"Hakoda?" she breathed excitedly. She instantly dropped the tray of tea onto the ground and ran towards the Water Tribe chief's table. Tea splattered everywhere and the customers grumbled angrily, but Ursa ignored them. Her manager was pestering the poor man about his order; she knew that needed to help bail him out before Hakoda left the place in annoyance.

When she reached their table, Ursa gracefully shoved her master aside.

"I'll handle this customer," she told him sweetly. Hakoda stared up at her with a mixture of shock and happiness, while her boss simply glared at her. He mumbled something in response, but nodded his approval of Ursa's desire to assist the customer.

When he walked away, Hakoda and Ursa both spoke at the same time.

"What are you doing here?"

They both laughed as Ursa sat down on a rickety old bench across the table from him.

"Okay you first," she told him, anxiously waiting to hear what in the world had drawn the Water Tribe adventurer to such a dull and hopeless place such as Ba Sing Se.

Hakoda grinned. "I was just up here gathering information from the university for my voyage. Why are you here? Do you work here?"

Ursa groaned. "Unfortunately, yes. I hate it here. The man is sourer than a lemon, and the pay isn't too great either. But I have no choice."

Hakoda frowned as Ursa sighed tiredly. It was obvious that she didn't get much sleep anymore; the black circles rounded under her eyes and her repeated yawning were clear indications to her lack of sleep.

"You haven't had a break in a while, have you?" Hakoda asked her seriously. Ursa looked up at him; her left eye gave a small twitch.

"Break?" she asked him hoarsely. A break…well, she had been so overworked lately that she hadn't thought much about anything but serving tea and cleaning the shop. Now that she thought about it, however, she needed to get away from this place. Whether her master approved or not, she was taking a break.

"What do you want to do?" she whispered to Hakoda, part of her wondering if her boss could hear their conversation.

"Uh, do you like tea? I know of a better place in the Upper Ring…"

"The Upper Ring?" Ursa had never been there before. Most of the people who lived there were probably of equal or lesser status as she used to be back in the Fire Nation. This pleased her.

Hakoda nodded. "There's a great tea shop up there, and afterwards we can take a walk or something…"

Ursa smiled softly. "Sounds good. Now let's go before…"

Just as Hakoda and Ursa began to leave, her manager came charging at them and tried to blockade the door.

"Where is she going?" he eyed Ursa suspiciously.

"We…" Ursa didn't exactly have any valid excuses planned out. "We've been invited to a banquet…in the Upper Ring…with…the Earth King?"

She didn't know why, but her last words came off as though she was asking a question. Perhaps because Ursa was terrible at lying, and she was nervous that she would lose her job just because she wanted to spend one evening with the Water Tribe man.

"It's only one night, sir," Hakoda added seriously.

The old man looked back and forth between Ursa and Hakoda several times and eventually shook his head unapologetically.

"She's my only server. She can't leave the shop," he told Hakoda defiantly.

Ursa's golden eyes glowed angrily for a moment before she managed to calm down. She pretended to submissively go back to cleaning the mess she had made after she dropped the tray, while Hakoda looked on sadly. The owner smirked at the chief and limped wildly back to the kitchen at the back of the place.

Hakoda sighed and turned around, ready to leave, when suddenly, Ursa jumped up and yanked him out the door of the shop. She was running quite swiftly for a woman of her age; her long black hair flowed beautifully as she looked back, wondering if her boss had noticed her great escape yet.

"What are you…" Hakoda trailed off as she immediately shushed him.

Once they were a safe distance away, Ursa let go of Hakoda's arm and the stopped running. She wasn't breathing too hard, even though they had just run quite a long distance.

"You thought I was really going to stay there?" Ursa asked him, clearly amused.

Hakoda grinned. "I don't know why anyone would stay there. That man has no respect for you."

Ursa frowned. Hakoda was right. Even Ozai had respected her more than her manager…and that was really saying something!

"Yes well…" she needed to change the subject. "Which way, Chief?"

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

It was a wonderful evening. They enjoyed tea and delicious food at a small tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city. Hakoda had told Ursa all about his adventures in the Southern Water Tribe, as well as some fun stories about his kids.

Ursa was a good listener, and was glad to hear that there was still some joy left in the world. She had gone to the Royal Fire Academy for girls as a kid, and although she had learned the important statistics and facts about the Water Tribes, Hakoda's stories were more fun and interesting than anything she had ever learned in school. And hearing them from an actual Water Tribe citizen, rather than out of a collection of scrolls, helped her remember the information better. She only wished that other Fire Nation children would be able to learn more about the outside world someday…

For her part, however, Ursa revealed very little about herself. She had kept up the "woman from a small Earth Kingdom village" act, but the more she talked to Hakoda, the harder it was to continue this living this lie.

Hakoda never pestered her to speak more than she wanted to, but this only made her feel guiltier for being dishonest with him.

They were now back in the Middle Ring, taking a quiet stroll under the starry clear night. The gardens in the Middle Ring were immaculately groomed and vibrantly green even under the night's darkened sky. A gentle breeze swirled around the two in the abandoned courtyards. Everything was silent except for the two's soft breathing; it seemed as though everyone in the Middle Ring had decided to go to bed early that night.

"Pretty night," Hakoda commented as he gazed up at the stars.

"Yeah, chilly."

"Are you cold?"

Ursa sighed peacefully. "I'm fine. It's just…not this cool back home. I lived in a very warm area."

Hakoda chuckled. "You probably shouldn't visit the Water Tribes then…it's always much colder than this."

They walked over to a fountain, where the water rained from a large glass statue of a badgermole. Inside the creature's clear body, there was a brilliant flame dancing around on a small torch; it reflected the orange light from behind the shadows of the trickling water.

Ursa found a stone bench for them to rest on, though it was slightly wet from some misfired droplets of water from the fountain.

Hakoda kicked off his boots as he sat next to Ursa; wriggling his tired feet in the cool grass below. They sat there for a while, just silently admiring the beauty of the scene around them.

Just before Ursa was about to speak, she noticed something in the pool that surrounded the badgermole statue. They were hard to see at first, but they soon came into view as they swam around the fiery figurine.

Turtleducks. There were just two of them: a mother and her baby.

They swam blissfully in rotating circles and squawked softly at each other. The baby tried to swim away, but the mother pecked her young one, and it immediately came back to his mother's side.

Ursa looked away. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she didn't want to let Hakoda see her crying over a couple of turtleducks. But it wasn't just the animals…it was the memories…

"_Hey Mom, want to see how Azula feeds turtleducks?" _

_Much to her surprise, Zuko picked up the entire loaf of bread and chucked it at one of the baby turtleducks that was swimming innocently in the murky pond in front of them. _

_Just as the turtleduck was hit, Zuko sat up in shock at what he had done. _

"_Zuko, why would you do that?" Ursa scolded her son. Even if he was just imitating Azula, the poor baby didn't deserve to be squashed underwater like that._

_The baby turtleduck resurfaced and shook its head as the older animal squawked angrily at the young boy. The mother rejoined her young one and swam up to Zuko, biting him hard on the foot. Zuko yelled at the turtleduck and tried to shake it off without having to use his hands. Ursa carefully picked up the vengeful mother and tossed her lightly back into the pond. She shrieked at Zuko one last time before swimming to the other side of the pond with her offspring._

_Zuko sat back, looking rather grumpy. "Stupid turtleduck! Why'd she do that?"_

"_Zuko, that's what moms are like," she put her arms around him protectively. "If you mess with their babies…"_

_Ursa pretended she was a mother turtleduck and made a biting sound. "They're going to bite you back."_

_Zuko laughed and hugged his mother closely as they watched the baby turtleducks play on the other side of the water._

"Ursa?"

"Huh? Oh…" Ursa quickly swiped away a stray tear and faced Hakoda. The fire illuminated in his icy blue eyes, which were trained on something held in his hand. Ursa looked down and silently wondered what it could be.

"This is for you," he told her, opening his palm slowly, revealing a magnificent white stone. In the middle, there was a half-circle mark etched in sapphires. Ursa's heart pounded, wondering what significance this particular stone held.

"I've been saving it for a while," Hakoda said, watching Ursa as she closely examined the beautiful, smooth rock.

"That's known as _the mark of the trusted_ in the Water Tribes," Hakoda mentioned solemnly.

Suddenly, it was as though everything Ursa's body had failed. She felt suffocated and weak, as though someone had just punched her in the stomach.

"Trusted?" she managed to choke. Her heart slowed and beat against her chest like a lumberman would beat his axe against a tree. She noticed her hands shaking and tried to get them to quit it, but it was no use.

"I've been pretty lonely on my journeys," Hakoda continued. "But the both times I've run into you, I've been given the chance to talk about my home…my kids…my past…I can't divulge all of this information to my men. I am the chief, so I must remain strong, not spend time reminiscing about life's joys and problems…Ursa?"

Ursa didn't know why, but she was standing now. Her knees shook terribly, and she had a throbbing headache. She had never felt more terrible for lying about her true past as much as now. Hakoda was a sincere man, so if he had told her that he trusted her…he _really_ meant it.

She watched the flame rise and fall inside of the badgermole. Fire…that was Ursa. She was not the simple Earth Kingdom woman Hakoda had thought her to be. She looked at the stone in her hand one more time.

"You can't trust me," she whispered, still staring at the gift Hakoda had given her.

Hakoda smiled as he stood up and tried to put his hand on her shoulders. "Of course I can. You…"

Ursa jerked away from his kind and comforting grip on her left shoulder. "No. You can't."

Hakoda was no longer smiling. He could tell that something was really bothering her…

He walked to her side and looked sideways at her face. The fire from the fountain was dancing in her sharp golden eyes, and her soft smile was replaced with a stiff, unwelcoming frown.

"What's wrong?" Hakoda ventured. He wondered if it was something he had said. Or perhaps it was the stone he had given her? He wasn't sure.

"I lied to you. You can't trust me."

She tried walking away, but Hakoda immediately reached out to her. He grasped her delicate, unusually warm hand and pulled her around to face him. Ursa's breathing was rapid and shallow, and on her face, a single tear was falling from her right eye. She looked utterly destroyed.

"I can't tell you…" she tried to tell him. "I can't…"

Hakoda's piercing glare was like a sword in the heart. "Calm down, and tell me the truth. I won't tell a soul. But I would like to know the truth…whatever this is about."

He released her, and she stood in place, looking ashamed and sorrowful. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"I'm not from the Earth Kingdom," she quietly exhaled, preparing herself for the worst. "I'm from…I'm from…_the Fire Nation_…"

Her last words were uttered in a nearly inaudible whisper. But he had heard them. Hakoda felt his sympathetic expression contort into one of betrayal and rage. As soon as she mentioned the Earth Kingdom, he knew…he knew that something was wrong…

Oddly, he didn't feel as surprised as he should have felt. Everything seemed to make sense: her hair, her eyes, and her behavior whenever Hakoda mentioned the Fire Nation…

He wondered why he never suspected her sooner. However, this hardly softened the blow. Ursa had flat out _lied_ to him, and not only did she have tons of freely given information about the Water Tribes that she could use against him; she knew about Katara being the last waterbender at the Southern Water Tribe as well…

All sorts of terrible scenarios flashed through Hakoda's mind.

"I'm sorry," she pleaded quietly to him, but it was no use. "If I had told you, I didn't know if you'd have me arrested or…"

She tried reaching for Hakoda's turned back with her outstretched arm, but Hakoda shook it away.

"I would never betray you; I'm not like them…" she whispered fiercely. "Not everyone from the Fire Nation is evil, Hakoda…please believe me…"

Hakoda remained with his back facing her. "Believe you? You want me to believe that someone from the same nation that took my wife away from me…_the same nation_ that began and is now completing this hundred years' war…_isn't_ a terrible person? After all you've lied to me about?"

He wasn't yelling. Instead, his voice was harsh and cold, like the very wastelands he had come from. Ursa winced; his words stung more than the cold night's breeze.

"What next? You're the Firelord's personal spy?"

_Actually I used to be his wife,_ Ursa thought guiltily, but didn't dare speak aloud.

"Do you really believe that all Fire Nation people are born bad, then?" Ursa asked softly after a long pause.

Hakoda was still so angry he could hardly speak. His mind wandered to the last invasion of his tribe…the same invasion that took Kya away from them…

"I don't know," Hakoda said finally. Without turning around, he walked away, leaving Ursa alone in the courtyard.

As she watched him leave, she shivered miserably and tried to get warm. Finally, when Hakoda went out of sight, she began walking in the opposite direction, not even noticing that the fire from the badgermole had gone out.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Ursa stared up at the ceiling in her small apartment. It had been a week since Hakoda had run away from her, and she hadn't slept very well since the incident. Every night, she would go onto her balcony and gaze at the city under the moon's gentle light.

Tonight, however, as she got up and hobbled her sore legs out the door and onto the terrace, Ursa didn't feel like watching the city life. Instead, she subconsciously reached into her pocket and withdrew two small items. One was the wooden fish that Hakoda had given her back at the Great Divide, and the other was the snow-white stone with the sapphires.

She gazed at them longingly, desperately wishing that she was really just in a bad dream. Ursa still couldn't believe she had told him the truth; would it have killed her just to continue living as the person Hakoda thought she was?

_Yes, _a small voice inside her mind answered.

She contemplated throwing both of the trinkets down into the streets below. Hakoda hated her now; good or evil, she was still Fire Nation, which meant that she was automatically disliked by any outsiders who knew the truth.

_Thud._

Ursa whipped around and faced the direction of where the small noise had come from.

"Hello?" she asked cautiously. After a moment or two, she shrugged it off, figuring that it was just a kitten-mouse scurrying through the room behind her.

Instead of tossing the carving and the stone away, she dropped them dejectedly onto the balcony and began walking back to her rickety bed.

_Phoom!_

Before Ursa could react, two metal handcuffs whizzed behind her, easily catching onto her wrists. She was yanked backwards, and before she could scream, something cold and hard was wrapped around her mouth. Her eyes widened in terror as two men in dark clothing and headwear pulled her in and held her steady. Their robes bore the symbol of the Earth Kingdom, and a single green plume cascaded from their rimmed hats.

"Mmmmpppphhhh!" Ursa tried screaming for them to get away from her, but she couldn't speak.

Their cold green eyes regarded her carefully, as one of the men held a rock-gloved hand up to her chin.

"You sure this is her?" his partner asked.

Ursa shook furiously to get his hand off of her, but she was immobile for the most part. She didn't want to keep looking into those empty jade-colored eyes, especially since these highly-trained men could possibly spot a Fire Nation person just by looking into their golden eyes.

"It's her. Take her into custody."

They began dragging her away, but Ursa fought hard. She tried kicking at them from behind and whipping her head around, but nothing worked. Her earthen bondage only strengthened, and she was forcefully shoved into a shadowy cart pulled by an ostrich-horse down below her apartment building. A hazy green light glared around her, and she blinked several times as she threw her body at the doors as her prison closed in around her. She made no progress at all. Ursa was finally trapped.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Ursa awoke in a room. It was pitch-black inside, and for some reason, she found herself sitting in a chair. At last, her mouth was free of the rock glove that had covered it, and she wondered if she should try calling out for help. Straining her ears for any sign of life, Ursa faintly heard several men whispering not far from where she was.

She tried to sit up, but was held down by more rock gloves on her forehead and her wrists. It was warm and moist in the room; strange, considering how cold it was back up at her apartment.

Suddenly, a small light flickered in the corner of the room. Ursa immediately noticed the shadows of three darkly robed men marching solemnly into the room. Two of them stood on either side of her; the third stood directly in front of her. Around the room, a metal track encircled them; the lamp was beginning to move slowly in a circular path.

"What's going on?" Ursa asked in a voice that didn't quite sound like her own.

"You have been arrested by the Dai Lee for disturbing the peaceful city of Ba Sing Se," one of them informed her tonelessly. The lamp was gaining speed…

"Disturbing the peace? What peace? We all know about the war going on outside…"

Ursa trailed off. Much to her surprise, her eyes were drifting along with the lamp. Her mind would not let her lose sight of the lamp…

Summoning any trace of willpower left in her, Ursa forced herself to close her eyes. However, they immediately fluttered open, not wanting to miss its forgiving light…

"Follow the light. Just let go. Give into it. You will be fine."

Ursa felt sickly weak; her eyes would not obey her anymore, and the Dai Lee agent's soft words were so convincing…

As the lamp rounded another time, Ursa snapped her head up. Memories were flowing from her mind…she was losing them…

"No," she whimpered feebly as all of her recollections of her son became fainter and eventually began to disappear. Her head drooped, but her eyes continued to follow the light. It was over. Hakoda had turned her in to the cultural authority for being Fire Nation. Just because she was from the wrong side, Ursa was being wiped of all her precious memories…

A tear trickled down her face; she had no willpower left. Or so she thought.

"_Mom?"_

"_Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change…_

"Never forget who you are," Ursa finished aloud. She had barely whispered it; the Dai Lee didn't even notice. Tearfully, she realized that she hadn't been following her own advice. She wasn't the helpless Earth Kingdom woman everyone thought she was.

_I am Ursa…I am a firebender._

The thought hit her like a rock in the face. How could she have ignored that? Was she just going to sit there and wash away her mind and life, without even putting up a fight? Had she given up on ever seeing her son again, that she had willingly been lead to her own destruction? Not anymore…

Darkness. For some odd reason, the light in the lamp had completely gone out.

"What the…" the Dai Lee were slightly confused; this was her chance…

With a mighty kick, vibrant orange and red flames erupted all around her right foot, sending the stunned agents stumbling backwards towards the safety of the door.

"She's a firebender!" Ursa heard them yell out in panic. She smirked triumphantly as she wrenched her wrists out of their handcuffs with more powerful bending. The room was alive now…alive with fire.

Ursa saw the men cowering in a corner at the back of the room. They had apparently never been attacked by a firebender before, and they were terrified and unsure of what to do next. They had orders to wipe the woman's memories…but how were they supposed to do that when they were up against a clearly skilled bender?

As she walked towards the door, she darted them a look of pure hatred. Ursa had never felt this overpoweringly furious before. How darethey attempt to steal her few remaining memories of her beloved son…how _dare_ they try to destroy her mind just because she is from the Fire Nation.

Without saying anything to them, Ursa swiftly exited the place, leaving them to fight their way out of the flaming room.

Along her way out of the dimly lit corridor, a few roaming Dai Lee agents tried stopping her. They skillfully aimed walls of earth in her direction, but instead of hitting their target, Ursa unleashed a terrifying display of her bending. The walls were ablaze on either side, and the agents were running for their very lives.

Once Ursa reached the exit at the top of a long ladder, she noticed that she had been underneath a lake the entire time. She would definitely be chased after and arrested within a few hours, but for now, she walked over to the edge of the lake and gazed into her reflection.

She didn't recognize the person looking back up at her. The person's strikingly golden eyes were fraught with hate and shame. Her mouth was twisted into a cruel, satisfied smile, as though attacking several people- enemies or not- had pleased her. What had happened to the kind, motherly smile she used to know? Or the calm, joyful eyes that danced with happiness whenever she was around Zuko? All she saw was a monster.

Finally, Ursa couldn't look at her own face any longer. She threw herself onto the sand and wept.

**Prince Pouty, Crazula, Loser Lord...and now Sadursa...we have a whole family of failures now, amirite? **

**I'm just kidding...I hope Ursa wasn't too out of character, but that's kind of hard to say, considering we never got all that much of her in the first place...thanks for reading!**

**PS: Reviews make the world go around...my world, at least ;D**


	3. Welcome to Kyoshi Island

**Okay, compared to the others, this chapter is really short. However, I felt that I owed you guys an update, so here's a short-ish chapter...enjoy :)**

The waves licked the shores tenderly as Ursa drew her shabby canoe onto the sand. She had been traveling south for several weeks now; it had been her goal to get as far away from Ba Sing Se as she could.

For two weeks, Ursa had wandered the outskirts of the giant wall on foot. Upon reaching a small town, however, a kind brunette girl had allowed Ursa to use her family's ostrich horse for her travels over land. The girl had also invited Ursa for dinner one evening before her departure the next morning; her mom made the weary Fire Nation woman a delicious meal of roast duck along with jasmine tea. The woman's daughter explained to Ursa that the Fire Nation had raided her farming village a long time ago, and she hadn't seen her father since then.

Ursa could tell how much the young girl missed her father. It made her thoughts drift to Zuko once more…

After leaving the girl and her mother's home, Ursa had ridden the ostrich horse even further south, until she was forced to resort to water travel. She had hoped to find a quiet Earth Kingdom island to reside on before deciding what her next move was.

Exhausted from the constant paddling, Ursa dragged herself out of the boat and collapsed on shore, just beyond the tide's reach. Her nice green outfit was tattered and filthy; hopefully this island had a village somewhere so she could get something new to wear.

Slowly but surely, Ursa stood up and began trudging on the beaten path that would probably lead her somewhere. One foot after another; her legs struggled weakly to continue propelling her forward. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in weeks, and her stomach screamed from starvation. Ursa clenched her abdomen tightly, trying to will the pain of terrible hunger away.

Somewhere in the trees, Ursa heard a faint flutter of…_fans_? She immediately shook away absurd idea, and blamed the noise on a distant owl monkey.

A few moments later however, Ursa could have sworn her trained ears had heard someone's footsteps. Her eyes flickered left and right, mindful of her surroundings. Out of nowhere, three people dressed in dark green clothing flew at Ursa. They had her blindfolded and pinned to the ground faster than you could say "bleeding hog-monkeys."

"Who is that? What are you doing to me?" Ursa called out as she thrashed around in the binding ropes around her body.

"Why don't you tell us who you are first?" a dominant female voice called out. Strange…Ursa thought that she must have been attacked by men…

"My name is Ty Lee and I'm from Ba Sing Se," Ursa stated calmly, using a different name just in case Ozai had wanted posters of her up in this part of the world. She didn't allow them to see her panic, either; they mustn't know that she was Fire Nation…

"Why have you come to Kyoshi Island?" the demanding girl prodded Ursa for more information.

Even with the tight blindfold around her eyes, Ursa could tell that there were at least two others around her. She could have easily escaped using bending, but they didn't sound much older than her own kids…

"I didn't realize where I was," Ursa began as she fidgeted around the ropes that still held her captive. "I'm a refugee from the war…please I mean no harm. I just need to hide from the Fire Nation."

After a long pause, one of the people took the blindfold away. There were four girls around her; Ursa felt slightly awkward for lying on the ground while facing up at four teenagers dressed in strange dark green warrior clothing. They all wore the same face paint: their whole face was white, save for the area between the eyes and the eyebrows, which was delicately brushed in red paint. All four of them wore headbands; however, each girl had a different design in gold at the front of the forehead.

Their leader was supposedly the girl standing directly in front of Ursa.

"I'm not sure if we can trust her," the girl informed her fellow warriors as she glared skeptically down at Ursa.

"What should we do Suki?"

Suki, the leader, thought about it for a moment. "I have an idea. Let's bring her to the village and have our new visitors take a look at her. They've dealt with some Fire Nation people before…"

Ursa gulped as two of the girls pulled her up and forced her to walk forward. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see their new visitors if they knew so much about the Fire Nation…

When they reached the small village, Ursa was escorted to a small wooden building that was down the road from the statue of the great Avatar Kyoshi. Her eyes darted nervously around the room as she was pushed up the stairs by the silent warriors.

Finally, at the tip of the stairway, Ursa was led into a room that was occupied by a lonely-looking Water Tribe girl. She was sitting by herself by a vast table of food, taking halfhearted stabs at the cold dumplings with her chopsticks.

The girl looked up upon the threesomes' arrival.

"Is everything okay?" she asked in a concerned voice, her eyes drifting over to Ursa curiously.

"We found this civilian at the shores of the island. Suki instructed us to ask you, Sokka, or Aang whether you think she is Fire Nation or not."

Surprise flickered in the girl's eyes as she glanced over Ursa's frayed clothing and ragged hair. She certainly looked more like a refugee than someone on the Fire Nation's side.

The two warriors untied the ropes and departed at the girl's nod of dismissal, leaving the Water Tribe girl alone with Ursa.

"You look like you haven't eaten in weeks," the girl commented as she offered Ursa something to eat from the buffet in front of them.

"I've been traveling from Ba Sing Se," Ursa replied quietly. "There aren't many towns between here and there that welcome refugees."

They remained silent for a moment, before the girl spoke again.

"I'm Katara, by the way. We just got here yesterday…" she continued talking, but Ursa's mind went elsewhere. In some strange way, Katara seemed awfully familiar; Ursa could have sworn she'd heard the name before…but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"…how long have you been a refugee from the war?"

Ursa blinked a few times before slowly speaking again. "It's been…about five years. I…I was forced to leave my children behind with their father."

She was technically telling the truth; adding personal information such as that would hopefully boost her credibility as a true refugee from the Fire Nation.

Katara's eyes widened and she frowned sadly. "I'm so sorry…I…" she trailed off, not wanting to continue saying whatever she was going to say next.

Ursa stood up, feeling rather uncomfortable in this situation now. "You know, I should probably be going…"

**xXxXxXxXx**

As Ursa was paddling away from the hospitality of Kyoshi Island, she hummed a song that one of the servants used to sing for Zuko when he was a baby. She never did learn the entire song, but humming it made her feel better on her journey.

A dark figure appeared on the horizon; Ursa immediately recognized it as a Fire Nation ship. She was miles from any land, but she could distinctly tell that it was headed for Kyoshi Island. It was small, unlike the empire class battle ships, but the Kyoshi Warriors would still have a hard time fighting whoever that was off if it was really headed for the island.

Ursa shook her head sadly. There was nothing she could do to stop them, anyways.

She paddled on for a few more days, continuing her desperate search for land and food. Life at sea was terribly lonesome and boring; with nothing but sad memories of her children to comfort her, a feeling of great despair washed over Ursa. What if she starved to death out here? She would never see Zuko again…

_No_, Ursa told herself._ I will survive out here. I will…_

But her chances looked bleak, especially when the dark clouds rolled in one afternoon. The wind whistled shrilly in her ears, and the waves began slamming her small boat from all sides. Ursa was all out of food by now; if she didn't find shelter soon, she would definitely perish at sea, whether she wanted to or not.

The rain was light at first. Just a quiet shower of drizzling rain, but that turned into a stormy monster within a couple hours. Her canoe rocked wildly as the waves threatened to destroy it on every side. The roar of the crashing water and gusty winds was deafening. There was so much rain that Ursa could barely open her eyes long enough to get a quick glance at her surroundings. Still no land in sight.

The clouds were dark gray and contorted with rage. Somehow Ursa had found herself in the middle of a hurricane.

She had given up on trying to row her way out of this, because she needed all her strength…just in case.

Sure enough, just a mere four or so hours later, a ridiculously huge wave roared up over Ursa. She had been struggling to stay afloat for a long time now, and she was exhausted from her persevering efforts. Too worn-out to even attempt to get out of the way, she looked on in horror as the riptide crashed down on top of her, completely shattering the canoe in the process. Now she was lost at sea, in the middle of a storm, without any mode of transportation besides physically swimming. She was also freezing cold and too drained to do anything besides tread water to keep from drowning. Much to Ursa's dismay, the storm wasn't even over yet. Another giant wave rose up over forty or fifty feet above her. As it crashed over her, Ursa felt her body propelled downwards, deep beneath the surface. She no longer had the energy to swim upwards. Ursa glanced one last time up towards the surface. It looked so far away. Her vision became spotty from lack of oxygen, and she felt herself sinking, rather than floating upwards.

_I'm going to die_, Ursa thought as the last bubble of oxygen escaped her lungs and disappeared.

**Oh noez! :o**

**Okay, so I'm like, going on vacation until September 1...don't get mad at me for not updating, but if I get enough reviews, I'll have a nice LONG chapter for you all when I get back! (yes, I'm a sucker for reviews...get used to it)**


	4. Suki and the Storm

**OMG...I'm sooooooooooo sorry this took so long to publish! I understand if you wish to throw stones and lobsters at me...but I hope you'll forgive me because I'm still back, and I _am _going to finish this story! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, and I _promise_ it won't be so long between updates next time!!**

"Oh Spirits! I think she's _alive_!"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, it could just be your imagination…"

"No way…see? She's breathing! Oh! And I can feel her heartbeat! She _is_ alive!"

A faint buzzing sound chorused throughout the area. It grew louder and louder until Ursa shook her head violently as though it would clear her mind. Her brain was slowly trying to tell her to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as though they weighed a ton. Her head throbbed harshly, but she needed to figure out where she was…maybe she died and was in the Spirit World now?

She blinked several times before her vision cleared enough to see that she was surrounded by men. Ursa's upper body was propped up by a stack of furry pillows, so her woozy head could rest comfortably without her needing to sit up.

The men were gawking at her in shock, as though she was some sort of grotesque monster.

"What?" she asked in a painfully hoarse voice. The very action of speaking made her throat scratchy, immediately causing her to cough and sputter.

"Bato, get her some water! We need her to be able to speak when Hakoda's ship comes into port!"

Ursa instantly stopped her seemingly unstoppable hacking and blinked. "Hakoda?" she choked out in between coughing fits.

Once again, everyone was taken aback by her recognizing Hakoda. She squinted more carefully in this dark room and finally realized that these men were Water Tribe.

"Do you know Hakoda?" one of them asked her as she was silently debating whether or not her being Water Tribe was a good thing.

Ursa nodded stiffly. "Is he here?"

The men shook their heads. Ursa sighed with relief. Most of her body was so weak that she could barely function without having pain spasms everywhere, but somehow, she was alive. She didn't want Hakoda to see her in this state, especially after what had happened in Ba Sing Se. She would be a much easier target if he decided that she should pay for her nation's wrongdoings…

She felt both relieved and remorseful at the same time. However, Ursa didn't remember why she was on this ship in the first place…

"What happened?" she interrupted the men's anxious chatter, causing them all to look at her again. She bit her lip and looked away, not exactly loving all this awkward attention.

"You don't remember?" a tall, burly man with blue beads on his facial hair asked her breathlessly. His hair was dark brown, like all of the other men; however, he wore a special Water Tribe headband on his forehead, setting him apart from the others.

"No," Ursa snarled at him, feeling slightly annoyed by the fact that all these men wouldn't stop looking at her so strangely.

"You almost drowned!" one of them shouted out. "You're lucky that Bato managed to save you before you died!"

Ursa's eyes widened. "Bato…? Who is…"

A man with kind blue eyes stepped forward from the group and smiled gravely at her. "You gave us quite a scare back there. It's not a pleasant sight, seeing someone's head suddenly submerge underwater in a storm."

Ursa tried to chuckle nervously, but no sounds would come out. These men were so unfamiliar to her, and waking up onboard one of their ships was quite unnerving.

"We'll take you to see our chief as soon as we meet up near Whaletail Island. But first, if you don't mind, I'd like to know your name."

Ursa's eyes widened. She was expecting to be interrogated, such as why she was alone on a small boat in the middle of a storm. Or something like that. But her _name_?

"I'm…Suki," she said uncertainly as she remembered the name of the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.

The men murmured to themselves, but Bato simply nodded before calmly telling her:

"Our healer gave you some healing herbs for your nausea. They have understandably made you quite tired, so we will let you rest. We will be meeting Hakoda's fleet in the morning."

As he and the other blue-clad warriors turned to leave, Ursa urgently ordered her mind to remain conscious.

"You know, I should be fine by tomorrow. Just drop me off at the nearest Earth Kingdom port…"

Bato smiled curiously at the woman's desperation. "No worries, Suki. Hakoda is nothing to worry about. As long as you're not a spy for the Fire Nation," he added solemnly.

Ursa bit her lip as Bato shut the door behind him.

_Oh, sure…I'm just an Earth Kingdom woman, remember?_

A tiny voice in her mind added: _But Hakoda knows different._

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ursa fretted the entire morning. The healer tried everything possible to calm her down, but she swatted every possible opiate away. This was no time for sleeping! She had to figure out a way to escape before she was recognized as Fire Nation. She didn't want to know the consequences that lay ahead of her…

"Lady Suki, _please!_" the healer cried exasperatedly as Ursa flipped underneath the blankets of her bed in the same manner a young child would if being force-fed onion and banana juice. Ursa shook her head stubbornly under the covers, fully aware of how immature she was acting and not caring one bit. She knew the healer meant well, but it would not improve her situation if she was sleeping while Hakoda informed the crew of their Fire Nation occupant. She could only imagine their rage…

However, for the most part, the Water Tribe men were good people; always ready to help, even if she was a complete stranger. They were trusting too; the atmosphere on the ship was far more relaxed than that in the Fire Nation. There, everyone was always watching their backs, as though their best friend would stab them in the gut if they weren't paying attention.

Ursa couldn't blame them; her own father-in-law was proof that nobody was ever safe from pain or death.

Here on the ship however, every man seemed oblivious to anything besides their work. They left their bone-carved weapons lying around carelessly; had this been a Fire Nation ship, the soldiers would have worried that they could be used to attack the more despised members of the crew. Especially with a foreigner onboard.

Other than irritated healer, the men nearly forgot Ursa was on their ship. Their intense focus on their work was admirable, though. She wished the Fire Nation could learn a thing or two from them.

Ursa tried escaping her small quarters several times throughout the morning, much to the irritation of her caretakers. They couldn't seem to comprehend her desperation, no matter how many times she pleaded just to be thrown off the side off the ship with nothing but a boat to get to shore. It was better than facing her doom, she thought miserably.

But they would have none of it. They kept her safe in her room, eventually forcing her to give up on trying to get away from here.

Outside of her room, she heard the lowered murmurs of the men. They were pondering amongst themselves about their strange visitor. Bato had refused to urge any new information out of their new member; that job was apparently set aside for the chief of the Water Tribes.

The most puzzling thing of all was her unusually warm body heat. The healer had just assumed she had a terrible fever, but that didn't explain how she appeared so pale when most people with fevers looked flushed and red. There were no traces of sweat on her forehead either, but the healer couldn't think of anything else that it could be.

Surprisingly, they had had a Water Tribe dress onboard fit for a princess. Ursa accepted it readily, not bothering to question why or where they had gotten this strange outfit anyways. It was almost as though they were hoping a woman would come onboard their ship someday…

The vibrant blue fabric with warm white furs on the hip and shoulders was a big contrast to her old, battered Earth Kingdom rag. She had chosen not to wear gloves however; her hands were easily warmed through other means…

Looking down at her reflection in the water, Ursa found herself silently wishing that she was born in the Water Tribes. These men were so easy to be around and these clothes were much more comfortable than her stiff Fire Nation robes.

Still, she was still caught off-guard when one of them knocked at her door later in the morning, informing her that Hakoda's ship had arrived. After their last encounter in Ba Sing Se, she realized that she would feel better facing _Ozai himself_ again than Hakoda.

_Thud. Thud._

She gasped in panic at the sounds of boots walking down the corridor of the ship. Two men were talking; one she recognized as Bato's voice, the other: Hakoda.

There was no turning back now. He would come in and tell everyone that she was Fire Nation, just like he told the Dai Lee back in Ba Sing Se. Everyone on the ship would revolt against her, perhaps even kill her. She would try to escape of course; she couldn't die yet…she needed to see her son at least one more time before she could eternally be at rest. The thought of seeing Zuko again cheered her for a brief moment.

_Knock. Knock._

Her heart thudded against her chest. Thinking quickly, she whirled around in her bed so that her back was facing Hakoda when he opened the door. Her bright blue Water Tribe dress and her smooth black hair was the only thing visible to him for now.

Her breath came out in small rasps, and she closed her eyes, preparing for the worst. His boots were steadily coming closer…

"There's no need to hide, I'm here to help you."

Yup, that was definitely Hakoda's voice. Ursa remained defiantly fixated in her position, determined to hide her identity for as long as possible. She heard him sigh before he tried a different approach.

"My name is Hakoda, the men told me you've been through a lot in the past day."

The wooden floor creaked as his weight lifted and he advanced forward. The boat swayed slightly from the howling winds outside, but Hakoda hardly took notice.

Suddenly, Ursa felt a light hand grasp her shoulder, silently urging her to turn around.

"Please, I need to be able to talk to you," Hakoda pleaded calmly.

Ursa shook her head and tried shaking away his hand. He released his grip and came around to the side. Noticing this, Ursa whipped her head to the left, her long black hair trailing behind her and shielding her face from the chief.

"Okay," Hakoda replied, slightly amused as he stood up. "I can talk to you like this."

Ursa's head flicked curiously in his direction for an instant before nodding her head willingly.

"What is your name?"

"Suki," Ursa replied almost too suddenly. Realizing this mistake, she forced her heart to stop racing at the speed of lightning.

"Where are you from?"

"Earth kingdom," she interrupted, unable to control her too-quick responses.

"May I ask what you were doing by yourself in the middle of a storm?"

"Fishing," she answered coolly, able to regain at least _some_ of her composure now.

"Fishing?" Hakoda repeated in disbelief. This conversation was easily getting nowhere, so he tried coming from the side to see her face again. Ursa didn't immediately understand what he was doing, and managed to turn away just before he caught sight of her hidden golden eyes.

"Quit it," she told him, irritated now.

Suddenly, he paused. She waited patiently for him to resume his dull interrogation, but he seemed permanently at a loss for words. Did she say something…?

"Do I know you?" he asked her in a serious tone.

"No! Of course not. We've never met," Ursa replied instantly, her voice rising with anxiety.

"No…I know that voice…"

Before she had time to react, Hakoda was just in front of her. Her head dropped as a last resort, her hair fell into her face and shielded her eyes from his icy blue ones. She could feel his intense gaze fixated on her forehead. Any second now…

From the corner of her eyes, she saw his eyes widen. _This is it_, she thought miserably.

"Ursa!"

He stood up in shock, causing her to lift her head to see what he was doing.

"_You…_but…but, _how?_ But Suki and…"

Ursa closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow. In her mind, she ran images of the men throwing her lifeless body overboard and into the cold, unforgiving ocean…

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked, clearly dumbfounded to see _her_ there.

"Your men saved my life," she replied tonelessly. She didn't bother delving into details; that would only make matters worse.

"Let me guess," Hakoda countered, his tone colder than the icy wastelands from which he came from. "You fell off your Fire Nation ship and decided to spy on the Water Tribe navy."

"What?" Ursa glanced up at him angrily for such an accusation. "I was not! I haven't been there in years. Everyone probably assumes I'm dead there."

She wasn't so sure about that last point, but she certainly hoped it was a lie…

Hakoda glared at her and she returned it with a piercing scowl of her own. Not that she blamed him for hating the Fire Nation, it was just that she had never actually done anything wrong against him…

"I never did anything, but _you_ got me arrested by the Dai Lee," she said accusingly.

Hakoda blinked. "I never told anyone."

Ursa narrowed her eyes, making it clear that she didn't believe him. Suddenly, she felt her throat growing rather dry…

She tried desperately to stifle a cough, but it escaped her throat nonetheless. Hakoda backed off and frowned; she was clearly still ill from her untimely adventure at sea in the storm. After her mild coughing fit, Ursa desperately tried to remain defiant, but her illness was ruining her image.

Hakoda's shoulders sagged and he sighed. Without another word, he turned around and exited the room.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Maybe they would kill her in her sleep. Maybe even hand her over to the Fire Nation in return for a big payout so that they could kill her themselves. Either way, she highly doubted that she was leaving this place alive.

She spent the entire next day restless in her quarters, wondering what her ultimate fate would be. Growing bored of nothing to do but worry about her predicament, Ursa resorted to playing small tricks with fire in her hands. She was careful to stop bending whenever she heard footsteps in the hallway, but nobody ever stopped by her room that day, save for one man bringing her tea and bread midmorning.

Later in the evening, much to her surprise, Hakoda showed up at her door. He had a grim expression on his face, making Ursa wonder if he had finalized her execution.

"We're permitting you to stay until you heal," Hakoda informed her after several seconds of awkward silence. She turned around and faced him, her face covered with amazement.

Not quite believing her good fortune, Ursa frowned. "But what about…"

Hakoda actually gave her a small smile. _Definitely _not expected in this situation!

"I 'forgot' to mention it," he replied easily, referring to her Fire Nation citizen status. He turned around to leave, clearly not here for a long, meaningful conversation. Before he left however, he poked his head in through the door. "You look plenty Water Tribe to me."

Days passed, and Ursa fought hard at every opportunity to gain Hakoda's trust. He never seemed completely at ease around her, not when he knew that she was one of _them_. The rest of the men were perfectly fine with her wandering the ship, but Hakoda was strict that she stayed in her room most of the time so he didn't need to worry about her turning against them and hurting his men.

"Can I help?" she asked as she came up behind him one afternoon at sea while Hakoda was trying to fix a particularly frustrating floorboard in the hull of the ship.

Grunting with irritation, Hakoda shook his head and kept trying.

Ignoring him, Ursa bent down and pointed to a loose nail in the floor.

"That's where the problem is. You need to hammer that down before fixing the others."

Scoffing at her, Hakoda rolled his eyes but tried it anyways. It worked, just as she had predicted. Hakoda merely shrugged it off; he wasn't one to admit that anyone from the Fire Nation, let alone a _woman_, was better at fixing his ship than him.

The men on the ship were always singing while they worked. Songs about the moon, songs about the ocean, and songs about their families; anything that made them remember why they were fighting in this war.

Ursa found it amusing at first; _nobody_ in the Fire Nation armies sang or even hummed while working on ships. They were instructed to work quietly and efficiently; nothing more.

This carefree atmosphere was very enjoyable, and Ursa found herself humming old tunes that she used to sing for Zuko and Azula when they were babies. Azula always loved the vigorous songs about the sun and the lightning spirit; Zuko always seemed to prefer quieter songs about the time before the war.

Hakoda found himself constantly irritated with Ursa's presence, mostly due to the fact that she was a Fire Nation refugee on _his _ship. Her lies to him in Ba Sing Se had scarred her trustworthiness; no matter what she did to prove her worth on the ship, it never seemed enough.

At the sound of a woman humming a sad, mournful song, Hakoda looked up to see Ursa hard at work, scrubbing the decks with an old hairy brush and some grimy suds. The tune was so deep that it cut right to his heart; it reminded him of Sokka and Katara and Kaya.

Ursa wore a similar expression on her face, as though she remembered those whom she had lost.

Hakoda looked away, trying desperately to hold onto his notation that no Fire Nation people had feelings. But Ursa was certainly proving him wrong a lot lately…

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ursa was dreaming peacefully. Occasionally, there would be a jarring rock of the ship, but she mostly remained in a quiet slumber. The booms were growing louder however, and they were beginning to wake her up. In the distance, she heard men yelling in terror…

_BOOM!_

In a split-second, half of Ursa's room was shattered to pieces. Piles of wood were blasted back, hitting her in the head where she wasn't covered by blankets. Blood immediately dribbled down her forehead, slowly oozing past her nose and the sour taste of it trickled onto her lips. She held her head and began to feel slightly dizzy; this was clearly no small head injury.

Ursa needed to know what was going on, however. Pulling herself up and out of bed, she hobbled out of what used to be the doorway to her room and made her way down the halls. Her head throbbed painfully and her vision blurred momentarily. When she could see somewhat clearly again, she noticed that the halls were _on fire_.

_Uh-oh_, she thought as she raced on deck where the men were indeed fighting a troop of firebenders.

"Suki! Get out of here!" one of the men yelled just as he was taken down by a soldier behind her. There was blood everywhere on the deck, and she muffled a horrified gasp when she nearly tripped over a fatally wounded Water Tribe warrior.

They were outnumbered badly, but Ursa was shocked by their astounding fighting abilities. Even without bending, they quickly proved that their skills with weaponry easily made up for their weaknesses.

One soldier attempted to attack Ursa, but she kicked him as hard as she could and watched him as he crumpled to the ground in agony.

To the front of the ship, Bato and Hakoda were fighting off a pack of five firebenders. Ursa limped forward hurriedly, hoping desperately that they wouldn't get themselves burned.

As fate would have it, Ursa tripped over a lifeless body just as she saw Bato get nailed with a roaring blaze of strikingly orange fire.

"Bato!" she croaked as she shoved herself to her feet; blood still flowed freely down her head as she ran to the front to help.

The five firebenders sneered, knowing that they had Hakoda surrounded; there was no way he could aid his now-unconscious friend and fight them off at the same time.

In a fit of blinding rage, Ursa sneaked up behind them, took a deep breath, and released her first massive display of firebending prowess since she first escaped Ba Sing Se. All five men panicked and tried to leap out of the blaze, clearly shocked at the fact that they just got attacked by a fellow firebender.

Hakoda's eyes widened in amazement and he began fighting off more firebenders now that they were distracted and therefore, easier to defeat.

"You're a firebender?!" he yelled to Ursa over the commotion.

After a powerful double punch firebending attack, Ursa glanced around wildly. "I guess so!"

Hakoda shook his head in wonderment as she fought off the offenders as though they were practice dummies. She wasn't just a firebender, she was a _master!_

In the midst of the intense and bloody battle, one of the cowardly Fire Nation soldiers sneaked off to his commander's quarters. The man was resting comfortably while his men did all the work. There shouldn't be any problems…they were just a bunch of Water Tribe peasants, right?

"Sir!" the man squeaked feverishly as he arrived unannounced at the door. The man, who had previously been drinking a calming cup of jasmine tea, glared up at the intruder.

"What is it?!"

The man bowed respectfully and as quickly as he could. "Sir, we're having problems up on deck…"

"You can't be telling me that fifteen firebenders can't take down two ships of Water Tribe savages?"

"No sir…well, um _yes_, sir…they have a firebender with them!"

The man's eyes widened as he coolly set down his tea. "_They_ have a firebender? Is he any good?"

The messenger furrowed his brow. "Sir, it's a female…and yes, she's quite good, we think we could use some of your assistance if we wish to decimate the Water Tribe men…"

A flicker of surprise washed over the commander's face momentarily. With a stiff nod, he followed the soldier up on deck.

"Hold your fire!" he barked out to his soldiers. Most of the battle seemed to have paused at once as he glanced around for the firebending woman.

She was at the bow of the Water Tribe ship, fighting off his soldiers easily next to what looked like the savages' chief.

The commander's eyes were so wide by now he wondered if they would pop. _My lucky day…_

"Well if it isn't Lady Ursa," he called out. Immediately, any fighting that remained after his ceasefire command stopped as well. The Water Tribe men looked around at each other, wondering why in the world this man just referred to 'their Suki' as 'Ursa.'

Ursa knew that voice. She also dreaded hearing it. Turning her head slowly, she scowled fiercely. Hakoda had never seen her look so angry in all the time that he had known her. He was still partly in awe of her firebending abilities; she had managed to take down over five soldiers _singlehandedly_. She also saved his and Bato's lives…

"Captain Zhao, what an unpleasant surprise," Ursa said, her words dripping with hatred as she continued to hold onto her wounded head.

The man laughed in a cheerless tone. "Actually the Firelord has promoted me to Commander now."

Ursa laughed spitefully. "Well, he never did seem good at picking military leaders."

The commander looked rather amused by her hateful words. "I'd like to say the same about family," he added, subtly referring to her and Iroh (and Zuko, though she didn't realize it). None of the Water Tribe men caught on, thankfully.

"What do you want?" Ursa asked boldly.

Zhao chuckled cruelly. "Well, I _was _sent on another mission, but I figured the Firelord wouldn't mind if we took out a couple Water Tribe ships on our way over. Now that I think of it, however, finding a traitor would be even better."

Hakoda looked on in wonder. Ursa clearly knew this man, and she was apparently not as loyal to the Fire Nation as he had originally thought. _Traitor…_he couldn't believe she was a known traitor to her own nation…

Suddenly, Ursa glanced at him with a conflicted frown on her face. He didn't know what it meant, but…

"If I go with you, do you promise to leave everyone else alone?" she asked quietly.

Hakoda gasped. "What? You can't do that just for us…"

She looked back at him with a grim look on her face. "I have to do this, Hakoda."

Zhao grinned evilly. "You've always been good at Pai Sho, Ursa…you know, as well as I do, a good move when you see it."

Looking down at the bodies of dead men on the deck of the ship, Ursa felt a horrible lump rise in her throat. She had to do this.

"Well?" she shot back at Zhao, furious that she had no third option to turn to.

He nodded. "I agree to leave the peasants alone if you follow your end of the bargain."

Ursa nodded sorrowfully and proceeded forward, only to feel that familiar grasp of Hakoda's hand on her shoulder.

Without looking back, she hurriedly shook him off and trudged dutifully onto the giant metal ship. The soldiers shoved her harshly below deck before she could even get a last glance at him. It was for the best, she knew; seeing his face one last time would have killed her.

The metal plank was unceremoniously removed from the Water Tribe's two wooden ships and the Fire Nation ships steamed away.

Ursa couldn't help but let go of one stray tear as the cold, metal door to her new prison slammed behind her, leaving her alone and in the dark.

**Okay so: this chapter was supposed to be longer. But I figured that 4,500 words was enough for a chapter, and you'll just have to find out Ursa's fate in the next chapter...don't think for a second that I hate Ursa...I actually love her character and I was really REALLY sad that she wasn't in the finale. But Ursa-abuse is almost as fun to write as Zuko-abuse is, so get used to it xD**

**As for Ursa in WT clothing: I couldn't help myself. I see many Zutara fanarts with Zuko in WT clothing, so I kinda stole the idea for this story ;)**

**Next chapter: Ursa goes to our favorite FN prison and sees one of the members of the Royal Family again. Is it Azula? Iroh? Ozai? Or even Zuko? Find out next chapter! :D**


	5. Beware the Boiling Rock

**Okay, I'll admit, this chapter was cut in half. I actually re-wrote this chapter for reasons I'll explain at the end...had I chosen to include what will now be chapter six, it would have taken me another week or so to get the chapter up, so I figured I'd better post it like this...**

**Um...this chapter is definitely T-rated. If minor (yes, quite minor, but I still gotta mention it) torture scenes bother you, then I dont recommend reading this chapter...**

"Ursa, would you please follow me to the tea chamber?"

Ursa crossed her arms and stared at the commander; half in surprise by his appearance in her cell, the other half in utter hatred for the man.

She stood stubbornly at the far end of her dark metal cell, just daring him to force her to leave against her will. It was cold and sickeningly moist in there, but she much rather be in there than a stuffy tea room with Captain Arrogance. Her fierce golden eyes flickered casually in his direction for a moment before she responded.

"I apologize, but I _respectfully_ decline your request, Commander," Ursa said in a forcefully polite voice.

Zhao caught the subtle sarcasm, however, and scowled. "It wasn't a request. The Firelord has commanded me to interrogate all traitors I capture on my journey, including _you._"

Ursa stared at him indifferently; she knew that her captor didn't simply wish to have tea with her. Nope, she had rather expected this of him. "So Ozai knows of my whereabouts now?"

Zhao smirked. "No…not _yet_. Now come," he motioned for her to follow him, so she did, unable to think of any retort. So she had to sit through a brutal questioning process…who knew? Perhaps Zhao would accidentally reveal some information about the goings-on in the Royal Family while he was talking…

"Is your head okay?" Zhao asked in a tone that instantly told Ursa that he couldn't care less about her terrible injury. He strolled down the halls, having not even bothered to force some of his soldiers to accompany them. It was strange, considering how easily Ursa could escape on her own…

"My head is fine," Ursa replied in an equally bored voice. Her fists clenched the entire way down the hull of the mighty metal ship; the longer she was around this guy, the more furious she became.

She had been perfectly content living amongst the Water Tribe men on their ships. They respected her, and she respected them back. They shared the work on the ship, and nobody ever complained. They even went so far as to include her in their jokes; most of which she would have otherwise not have understood due to her strict upbringing. Fire Nation families were never permitted to joke around each other…

Oh Spirits, she missed those warriors. None more so than Hakoda however. She was just beginning to gain his trust back, but then along comes Commander Zhao. He took her entire new life away from her, and for that, she hated him with a burning passion.

"You should know, that even in your banishment, you are receiving the best of care…" Zhao droned on, making the walk seem longer than it really was.

Ursa sighed as she trudged along. She and the Water Tribe healer may have had their issues, but she sure did miss him now. The physicians on Zhao's ship that treated her head injury were rough and insensitive. They also gave her strange substances to swallow that made her lungs burn and forehead ache.

The Water Tribe healer, however, had given her only safe herbs that would guarantee a quick recovery. They were soothing and didn't taste all that bad either. Sure beats the stuff she was forced to swallow here. Part of her wondered if they were poisoning her with every medical "treatment."

"Yes, well…I'd really rather my family physician look after me, if you don't mind," Ursa said huffily, knowing fully well that she would probably never even set foot in her home city ever again, let alone see her old, caring physician.

Zhao chuckled haughtily. "The best care in the world, and you are still unhappy. Terribly ungrateful, aren't we?"

Ursa shrugged, trying desperately to hold back the intense desire to firebend the man's face off. Or at least…those awful sideburns…

"What do I have to be grateful for?" she asked slyly, knowing well that it would anger the temperamental soldier.

Scowling to himself, Zhao whipped around to face Ursa. She was startled for a brief second, but tried not to show it.

"Go back to your cell, _now!_"

Ursa cocked her head curiously at him then brushed right past him, heading for the exit of the ship. "Hmm, you know, I think I'm going this way, actually. Maybe we can have tea another time…?"

She immediately turned and dashed away in the opposite direction, only to be met by two unnaturally tall masked soldiers. They were both so huge that they completely shielded her from getting around. She slammed her fist down on one man's armor in frustration, but he didn't budge. They shifted uncomfortably in place under Ursa's fear-inducing death glare and merciless poundings, but managed to hold steady enough to wait for further orders.

"Let her go," Zhao commanded to the soldiers after considering the situation.

Ursa paused. There was _no_ _way_ Zhao would just let her go…he _had_ to be planning something.

She turned around slowly and flicked her eyes in his direction. Just as she had predicted, he was smirking cruelly back at her. She faltered; Zhao carefully noted that her eyes were clouded with confusion. He had her just where he wanted her now…

"Go ahead and try to escape. There is no land for miles around here…"

Ursa defiantly tried stomping away, but secretly she knew that this was all a clever trap…

"Oh, and I forgot to mention…it appears that we are also in contact with the Southern Raiders at the moment…" Zhao trailed off as Ursa turned back to face him; fresh horror dawning on her face.

"Turns out, they're currently patrolling around Whaletail Island…right where your little Water Tribe friends are. And you know how well those two get along…"

Enraged flickers of fire curled around Ursa's fists; she was _so_ sick of getting blackmailed all the time!

"…any wrong move on your part, and we will immediately send a message for them to attack the savages within an hour."

Ursa bit her lip in frustration and restrained herself from attacking Zhao with all she had. Instead, she held back a scream and resigned herself to giving Zhao dirty looks that could only mean one thing: _you'll pay for this._

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ursa glared through the tiny barred wall that provided the only source of light to her empty metal cell. She could feel the slightest moisture from the boiling lake around her enclosure; just another reminder that never in her entire life had she imagined herself ending up here.

The Boiling Rock was the highest security prison in the Fire Nation. It was known to be inescapable due to the fact that it was surrounded by a boiling lake that was heated from the hot lava in the nearly-dormant volcano. As a girl, Ursa had repeatedly heard the horror stories of the Fire Nation's most dangerous criminals trying to escape from the place…and failing. It was supposed to be a reminder to the schoolchildren of how they were to act in society; however, Ursa and most of the other children saw the stories for what they really were: threats.

When a student misbehaved in class, they were severely punished. First, the instructor would frown at him or her the same way a guard would to its prisoners. After the student broke down into a chorus of horrified sobs and denials, the teacher would then ask them if they knew what happened to children who misbehaved. _Everyone_ knew the answer to this question, so the teacher would then go on to tellomg the class about a former student of theirs who often got into trouble and resisted people who had authority.

"And you know what happened to him?" they would ask in a terrifying voice, still giving the troublemaker a glare that would induce fear even in the most deranged psychopaths.

"Well?!"

If the student was brave, they would manage to squeak out the answer. If they were like the majority of Fire Nation students, they would simply stare at the instructor as though they were looking into the eyes of a displeased dragon.

"They are taken to the _Boiling_ _Rock_," they finish for the pupil in a cold whisper.

From there, the instructor would appall and amaze the students with tales of famous Fire Nation citizens who were sent there and died in their poorly-planned escape attempt. The message to the stories? _Never misbehave in my class or you will end up just like them!_

Everyday Ursa remembered this message and was careful not to get into _any_ trouble. The thought of dying in a prison, surrounded by monstrous prisoners, had frightened her out of her wits.

On that fateful day however…the day the Firelord had commanded her husband to kill her one and only son…Ursa had thrown this fear out of her mind. She would rather go to the Boiling Rock than see Zuko killed.

In a "shocking" display of "generosity," Ozai had merely banished her for this offense. She hadn't been forced to go to prison at all.

Now, she was here. Ursa had no idea _why_ she was here if Ozai's orders were simply banishment, though. She was forbidden to question the commander anymore, however, so she was forced to remain silent. If the stories of her youth were true, then she was _never_ going to leave this place alive.

Somehow, she felt herself nodding off, however, Ursa instantly woke up as she heard two male voices coming down her corridor. It was the dead of night by now; why in the world would anyone still be awake?

Although they were whispering, she could faintly make out what they were saying.

"Are you certain that it's her?"

"I'm positive sir. She responded when I said her name when she was on the Water Tribe vessel," responded the voice that sounded somewhat like Zhao's.

"Water Tribes?" Ursa couldn't recognize the second voice, but it immediately sent chills up her spine as he spoke.

"Yes sir. She was even wearing their clothing. We had her change into prisoner attire upon our arrival here."

There was no response from the other after that. Their footsteps drummed louder on the metal floors of the hallway as they grew closer and closer to her cell. Ursa held her breath, waiting for something to happen. Perhaps the second voice was the warden. The footsteps stopped; right outside of her cell door. Their shadows were cast from the small peephole into her cell; blocking out any source of light that she had left from the dim hallway lanterns.

Ursa's entire body jolted as her creaky door opened slightly. Although there was nearly no illumination around the entrance, she could barely make out the lone figure standing in the doorway. Her stomach felt weak, and her heart was slamming against her chest, as though it were trying to break free.

She said nothing as he closed the door behind him and walked into her cell. She was sitting in the far right corner in the back; he walked laterally from the far right corner to the left at the front. Neither of them said a thing; their mysteriously golden eyes just followed each other's movements until he stopped in the middle of the cell, staring down at her in disgust. If he blinked once, she would blink twice, as though clearing her vision would remove this nightmare of a man from her room.

"What are you doing here?" Ursa asked in a strangely calm voice after what seemed like a lifetime of hateful silence.

After a moment of more quiet, Ozai decided that he would ignore her. Their gaze broke, and he walked around the cell. He briefly brushed his hands against the cold metal walls, as though he were admiring her new living quarters.

"I asked you a question," Ursa said, her voice edging on the brink of hysteria. It was late, she had suffered through much in the last several months, and she knew that Ozai was more than capable of cold murder if he so desired.

His head whipped back in the direction of where she was sitting, as though he had just noticed that she was in there. His eyes were irate, but suddenly, his expression changed. He looked at her in a way that most other people would have interpreted as pity. But Ursa knew better.

"Stand up," he commanded her.

Ursa's eyes narrowed as she tried desperately to see through his act and figure out what he was planning. It was useless however; he was too cunning to be discovered that easily.

Without taking her eyes off of his, Ursa slowly raised herself to her feet. Did he have a weapon with him? Was he planning on killing her? Would he torture her instead? What if he told her that Zuko was dead? Or…

Ursa shuddered as a small flame appeared in his left hand. For some reason, it was as though she had forgotten that he was a firebender…

Focusing her attention on the flame, Ursa refused to look at him. She could feel his intense gaze on her face; here she was after five long years. Certainly much had changed since then…

Without another word, Ozai walked steadily behind her; Ursa didn't dare follow his movements, but she could still tell where he was by the light cast from the flame in his hand.

"You are lucky. Very lucky indeed. Do you know why?" his ice-cold tone was soft, but unforgiving.

Ursa shuddered as his shoulder briefly bumped into hers; it was as though he was prodding her for an answer.

"Why?" she croaked nervously. Her courage was failing her, and Ozai didn't appear to be in any sort of hurry…

"Tonight will be the second time I have spared your life. Instead of punishing you by execution, I have decided to let you stay here for the remainder of your life. Are you grateful?"

His last words were hardly spoken as a question; it was more like a demand.

Ursa frowned and glared through the darkness down to where her feet must have been.

"What have I done to even make you think of execution?"

She immediately felt the heat from the flame behind her intensify; she had angered Ozai.

"Are you not grateful?!"

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she watched him out of the corner of her eye, rounding to the right side of her cell. Her ever-increasing panic choked her, but she was determined not to show Ozai that she feared him.

"I'm…not."

Ursa had no idea why she had said no. Perhaps she should have been glad that she was being allowed to live out her life in prison, rather than having it cut short and never seeing her kids or Hakoda again. But, she decided, it was better to show Ozai that he didn't control everyone…

"Look at me," Ozai demanded, coming up directly in front of Ursa and catching her by surprise. His face was just inches away, and the fire from his palms licked maliciously at Ursa's flammable clothing.

"No," she breathed. It was a barely audible response, but the prison was so quiet that Ozai heard it anyways…just as Ursa intended.

"You are aware that it is against the law to disrespect your Firelord?" Ozai asked, his voice rising with coldblooded fury.

"Of course that would be the case if He was the rightful heir to the throne," Ursa hissed before turning and desperately trying to escape his reach. He was too quick for her, however.

Just as she tried running away (where, she wasn't sure), Ozai grabbed her by the throat and pinched her soft skin with his claw-like fingernails. Ursa's eyes bulged with fear; she had _definitely_ not expected this!

The fire in his palms highlighted his grotesquely twisted facial features; this was no longer the man whom Ursa had supposedly fallen in love with years ago. He was a monster.

For good measure, Ozai shook Ursa so hard that she let out a terrified squeak. The flames passed by alarmingly close to her face, as though Ozai's plan was to burn her. Her lungs contracted, begging her for air…

Hot tears of rage came to her eyes as she silently pleaded for him to let go. She couldn't breathe in or out; instead, she was forced to simply stare at him, wondering if this was how she was going to spend the last moments of her life…thinking nothing but horrible thoughts for her ex-husband and her body screaming in agony…

She figured that Ozai was definitely trying to kill her now; she only had a few more seconds' worth of air to stay conscious, anyways. And who knew what he would do to her once she was out cold…

"Please, stop…" Ursa wheezed, trying to weakly push him away with her right hand, but failing miserably. The pressure on her lungs to provide her body with air was unbearable. Not to mention the intense pain at her neck where Ozai was throttling her.

She briefly saw black spots flickering in her vision, and she felt herself losing consciousness. Her life seemed to flash before her very eyes; she saw Zuko, she saw Azula, she saw Iroh…and, even Hakoda…

This was finally the end…

Suddenly, the pressure released. Unable to remain standing freely, Ursa crumpled to the floor, gasping obnoxiously loud and flooding her lungs with oxygen. She coughed and sputtered helplessly in between takes of air; also trying to soothe the horrendous aching around her neck from where Ozai had punctured her skin.

Salty tears flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she tried looking up at Ozai. His face was now one of disgust. No regret could be seen at all; not even the slightest trace.

The flame flickered and died, almost disappointed that it didn't get to scorch half of Ursa's face off.

"You do not know what I'm capable of. Don't challenge me," Ozai told her hatefully; not caring that she could barely hear his words in between her gasps and sobbing.

Without another word, Ozai pivoted around and went to the door. He opened it swiftly and strode halfway out. Before leaving completely, however, he paused and looked back to Ursa's limp figure kneeling on the ground.

"Azula sends her love," Ozai sneered in a maddeningly sarcastic tone. "Enjoy prison, Ursa."

With that, he shut the door and locked it.

Between her now-quieted sobs and silent curses aimed at Ozai, something clicked in Ursa's mind. He had been so vague on that last remark, but something was _definitely _missing. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was, and she leapt drunkenly to her feet and threw herself at the door. Before she could possibly fall, she gripped the handle as tightly as she could for support. The effort alone weakened her greatly, but she needed to know…

"What about Zuko?" she cried after him from the small window in the door; but Ozai was already gone.

**Ahhhhhh!! Okay, I rewrote this chapter for one reason: the UrsaxOzai scene got too, um..._sexual,_ I guess. It's not so bad now, but it just wasn't my writing style to be that smutty and it looked wrong, so I rewrote it to better suit my plans for the story. **

**Ozai=jerk. Yup, I suppose Ursa doesn't know what he's capable of...poor Zuzu. Also, I'll give you guys one hint: it's more likely than not that Ursa will see Zuko again, but I won't say for sure...**

**This chapter: What'd you think? Creepy? Boring? Infuriating? Tell me what you think, I love constructive criticism!**

**Next chapter: Ursa does stuffz. Will Hakoda return? Will Ursa ever die? (lol I suppose she has become quite indestructible in this story xD). Careful Ursa, the warden is a grouchy one:**

_"No one has ever, EVER escaped from here. I'd sooner jump in the boiling lake myself than let that record fall...don't forget it."_


	6. A Mysterious Friend

**You all probably know what writer's block is, right? Well, I definitely had it pretty bad with this story…the last chapter was so intense, that nothing seemed really interesting in this chapter, so I kinda let it sit for a while. Okay, it was a lot longer than I meant to. But life got in the way too, from dog shows to debates, I've hardly had a minute to myself since I last posted! I feel horrible for not updating sooner, so hopefully this makes up for it!**

_Creak._

Ursa's weary eyes flickered open at the sound of her door opening. It had been so long since the door itself had opened to the outside world; for as long as she could remember, she had only received meals through a small opening at the bottom.

But today was different. The door was wide open; the hazy light filtered into the room. She was momentarily blinded by the brightness in the room. Ursa's eyes had not seen this much light in several weeks and she blinked repeatedly to adjust her vision.

Her tired body made a feeble attempt to get up by herself, but once she was up she was forced to lean on a cold metal wall for support. She had barely moved in the last several weeks and her body wasn't used to movement yet. The deplorable conditions in her disturbingly small cell hadn't improved at all, and she had given up any chances of escaping this rat hole meant for thieves and enemies of the Fire Nation.

In a way, Ursa was still loyal to the Fire Nation. She clung on to a small flicker of hope that Zuko was still impossibly alive…but that hope was fading fast. Even if he was alive, Ursa was quietly wasting away herself. If he wasn't already dead, she was sure to follow soon.

The guard at the door ushered her forward. She remained standing, her weak knees wobbling to keep their balance.

"The warden ordered that you be let out for an hour," the female guard spoke in a harsh tone.

Ursa's eyes watched her suspiciously for a moment before taking a cautious step forward. Her legs shook violently from the effort, but they were fine once they were accustomed to walking again.

She walked into the vast yard and was surprised to see the other prisoners for what seemed like the first time. They were all silently going about their activities; hardly what you'd expect from a group of rebels and murderers.

Ursa was pleasantly surprised to find her eyes self-adjusting to the sunlight. To most other people, it would have been awful to have broad daylight shining into your dull eyes after weeks of isolation from the sun. But to a firebender…it was more than welcoming.

Strangely, she felt much stronger once she was fully absorbing the sun's energy. Weeks without her power source had made her extremely sick and frail, but once outside, she felt transformed.

She relished her first hour outside while it lasted, and was terribly disappointed when the guards came to fetch her. She was put back in the same cell, but she didn't feel the same. Simply seeing the sun again had sparked a desire deep within herself. She couldn't believe it, but hope had returned to her heart. Ursa had seen the sun today, after thinking that she would waste away and die in that cell. She had nearly given up, but now the rebellious desire was back. _She wanted out._

The next five days went smoothly: the same guard came to let her out for her daily hour outside. The rest of the day, she plotted within the confines of her cell. She didn't really have a plan yet, but it didn't matter. By now, she knew she'd have to risk it all to get out of the place; she would rather die fighting than die failing.

On the sixth day, a new guard came to her cell. Like all the others, her helmet prevented Ursa from seeing anything but her eyes and mouth.

She was no different than the other lady, but this new one at least let Ursa walk without restraints. It was a relief not having to wear those chains all the time. Today Ursa sauntered over to a hidden area of the courtyard, where she could be alone. Lack of human contact for so long had made her wary of people, so she tended to avoid them whenever possible.

Today though, was not any ordinary day. Just last night, Ursa discovered that her firebending had returned. When she was first imprisoned in the cell, she had steadily lost any control over fire until it was as though she wasn't a firebender at all. Last night, however, the power had returned after many weeks of dormancy.

In her secretive corner, she played with the flames at the tip of her palms. She knew it was forbidden to firebend here, so she was extremely careful. She didn't want to lose these temporary breaks from her awful cell.

The fire tickled her wrists as it smoothly washed over her without so much as a burn mark. Oh, Spirits she had missed her bending…

"What are you doing?" a quiet voice asked behind her. Ursa jumped and whirled around as the fire immediately dissipated.

It was her new guard. The woman's arms were crossed, and she was eying Ursa distrustfully.

"I was just…" Ursa started as she racked her brains to find something believable to say.

"Firebending," the guard finished for her without a trace of doubt in her voice.

Ursa's mouth gaped in horror, wondering if this was the end to the tiny moments of joy she had experienced the last couple days. The guard turned around and looked around the yard.

"Oh no, Shin Sa and Chit Sang are fighting again. Perhaps I shall deal with you later," she spoke in a mildly threatening tone and walked away.

Ursa's heart pounded against her chest; she was in huge trouble. For some reason, the guard did nothing about it. She figured the woman was a new recruit and would reprimand her as soon as she explained to the warden what she had witnessed.

Today was strange. The odd guard never came back, and Ursa wasn't returned to her cell until sunset. Of course, she didn't _dare_ try firebending again, but she was certainly curious as to why she was allowed more time outside today. Maybe the warden was relenting? _Yeah right_, Ursa thought bitterly.

Her extra time in the fresh air had cleared her mind, though. She was polishing off a hopefully fail-proof escape plan, and would implement it as soon as possible. She was just waiting for an opportune moment.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Hakoda sat on the deck of the ship, gazing up into the moonlight. It had been weeks since Ursa had fiercely fought for him and the rest of the men aboard this vessel; they had been searching for her ever since. Well, he had been, anyways.

Two Water Tribe ships arrived from the Northern Water Tribe a month ago; one of his Southern Water Tribe ships had joined it to go fight off Fire Nation armies in southern Earth Kingdom villages.

His ship remained on the open seas, constantly searching out for an imprisoned firebender named Ursa. So far, no luck. But Hakoda believed in karma; Ursa saved him, he'll save her.

Too bad it wasn't as easy as it sounded. As he splashed his feet into the warm water below the boat, he remembered the day he first made port in a place other than the South Pole. It was a rickety Earth Kingdom village, where pirates ran wild and cabbage merchants were nearly fanatical. On the docks, he recalled a fight between a young Fire Nation boy and a group of pirates. The boy's face was barren and scarred; a passing stranger had explained that his own father did that to him.

Hakoda worried for Ursa. He had seen firsthand of what Fire Nation people did to traitors, and he didn't like what he saw one bit.

Sighing resignedly to himself, Hakoda wished he could ask the Moon Spirit for help. For some reason, however, he wasn't terribly inclined to believe in spirits. Perhaps it was for his lack or bending? He wasn't sure. Katara had always been the one in the family who was enchanted by their tribe's spirits. Maybe because she was a bender?

Hakoda sighed deeper. Here he was, miles from his home. His tribe. His kids. And he was fretting over some Fire Nation lady. He should be out there fighting the Fire Nation to stop them from winning the war; not fighting them to get Ursa back.

What would happen when they rescue her anyways? She would say thank you and probably depart.

Yet…there was something about her that Hakoda couldn't shake off. Sure, the woman had completely lied to him, but come to think of it, it was for the best. If he had known that when they first met, he would have had her arrested, no doubt.

Now she was arrested, but for the wrong reasons. Or was it right reasons? He had always thought that all Fire Nation people were bad. But…what kind of evil person would give up their own personal freedom to ensure the safety of strangers they barely know? Maybe some Fire Nation people could change from their evil ways? It certainly seemed as Ursa had…

"Thinking about her?" a calm voice came from behind Hakoda. He quickly stood up and tried to appear as though nothing was wrong. Bato smiled softly and chuckled.

"It's okay, I…"

"You didn't give me time to answer," Hakoda snapped a little harsher than he should have. Noticing Bato's hurt expression, he softened. "I'm sorry. It's just…so hard…my gut is telling me to drop it and continue on to Ba Sing Se. But my…my…"

"Your heart's telling you to follow her," Bato added quietly.

Hakoda gave him a stiff, awkward nod. Feeling self-conscious, Hakoda distractedly walked to the very edge of the ship and gazed into the water.

"We'll find her, Hakoda," Bato replied, giving Hakoda his space. "We all owe her our lives…wow, a firebender helping the Water Tribe. Imagine that!"

Hakoda smiled wistfully at his friend's attempt to cheer him up. "I just…hope she's okay."

**xXxXxXxXx**

For the past week, Ursa had been allowed outside virtually the entire day. Not that she minded, she was just wondering if anything suspicious was going on.

She also noticed that her miniscule feed rations had increased from one to two meals per day. She was given fresh rice and hot jasmine tea three times daily as well.

Ursa was exceedingly curious as to what caused this stroke of good fortune, however, she believed it was the spirits' doing, so she made sure to thank Agni everyday.

The guards were less rough with her than usual, which was strange, but she thought nothing of it. Maybe some of them found out who she was? She wasn't entirely sure, because most of them still addressed her as "Peasant."

Thanks to extra outdoors-time and better food, Ursa had fully regained her strength and bending abilities within two weeks of her first excursion from her cell. She was fond of her new guard, whom said nothing but at least treated her with silent respect.

One night, she was absentmindedly playing with a flame in her hand when the door suddenly creaked open. It was very late at night; so late that she could hear the men snoring in the cells next to her.

As soon as the door opened just a crack, the flame immediately went out. A guard was holding a faint glowing lantern, and moved slowly as though they were trying to make as little noise as possible. In the light, Ursa could see the guard silently urging her to come out. Shrugging to herself, Ursa crept up and followed the guard, who closed the cell door to make it appear as though Ursa was still inside. Strange indeed.

The two noiselessly walked down the halls, until they were outside. The night air would have been chilly; if they weren't surrounded by boiling water, of course. Ursa looked up and spotted a couple guards lazily patrolling the perimeter, almost as though they were sleepwalking.

"What are you doing?" Ursa hissed to the shadowed figure to her left.

Its face glanced at her for a moment before returning its attention to the secret elevator area behind the second prison complex, which was directly across the prison yard from where they stood.

The person motioned for her to follow, but Ursa stubbornly remained where she was.

"Come on," the woman's voice demanded in a low tone. Ursa bit her lip and cautiously followed after her. It sounded so familiar…

Their hearts pounded as they inched their way along the shadow-trodden walls on the right side of the yard. Ursa didn't quite understand what was happening, and although she had an idea, she didn't want to get her hopes up just yet.

They reached the far side of the yard without incident. The guards on the top level of the prison hardly noticed anything; it wasn't as though there would be anything out there at this time of night except fellow guards, right? And they were tired. Today, there were two riots, where the prisoners tried overthrowing the warden's crew for what seemed like the hundredth time that week.

Ursa tried desperately hard to control her unsteady breathing, but the adrenaline rush of being close to freedom was speeding up her heart rate every second. Her supposed rescuer didn't have a key for the elevator system, but she pulled something that resembled a key and it somehow worked. They climbed in and rode the surprisingly quiet machine to the top level of the complex.

On the way up, Ursa glanced at the woman. "Have I seen you before?" she whispered, trying to break the terrifying silence.

The guard paused, then shook her head. Ursa had a feeling she was lying, but it didn't really matter right now.

"Where…where are we going?"

"Gondola."

"Gond…_gondola?!_"

"Shhhh!" she hissed at Ursa. "I'll distract the guards. You go. I'll pretend to follow."

"But _why?_" Ursa asked incredulously. Why on earth would this person chose to help _her_ escape?

"Explanations later…if we survive. Now go," she pointed for a hidden walkway for Ursa to follow to the gondolas, while she herself waltzed over to distract the guards.

"But...who are you?"

The woman smiled grimly and shook her head. "Go now," she whispered forcefully, pushing Ursa toward the walkway.

In a state of fleeing panic, Ursa fled as fast as she could; immediately spotting the gondolas a fair distance away. Somehow she would get herself out of here…she had been here before. Just…as a Royal, not an actual prisoner…

Sighing hesitantly at the treachery she had just committed, the woman waved cheerfully at her fellow guards. Not fully recognizing her in the moonlight (and not being fully awake either) the guards shouted "Who goes there?!"

A hundred feet away, Ursa froze, thinking that the guard's holler was meant towards her. After hearing her rescuer respond calmly, however, Ursa hurriedly started the gondola system and quietly got in.

The guard watched this out of the corner of her eye, meanwhile making small talk with the others.

"Creepy night," she said stupidly, trying to get their attention solely on her.

The others nodded sleepily. "I don't get why the warden wants us out here all night. It's not like anyone is here!"

"No one but the spirits," Ursa's rescuer replied alluringly.

"Bah! Spirits…don't believe in 'em do you?"

She nodded solemnly. The gondola was halfway there…

"Hey…what's that?" asked one of the guards, pointing directly at the gondola.

"HEY!" Ursa's guard was near panic; they had been discovered!

"It's probably nothing," she said as she blocked their paths and tried to stay calm.

"No! There's someone on the gondola! It's a prisoner escaping!"

Now, the foursome was in uproar. Ursa heard them shouting in the distance, but she huddled as low as she could…staying out of sight…

"What should we do?" one of the guards asked frenziedly.

The group muttered wildly amongst themselves on the gondola deck before Ursa's secret rescuer walked up and took charge.

"Well I for one don't want to wake the warden, so shut up," she said menacingly. "He hates to lose sleep, and how would you like it if we were the first ones to ever let a prisoner escape from the Boiling Rock?"

The four guards nearly sunk to their knees in despair. They had forgotten about that…

"Let's cut the line!" the bravest one whispered fiercely. "That way, a dead prisoner is better than a free prisoner!"

"And how will we explain that to the warden? Do you think he would appreciate having on of his gondolas drowned?" she smiled behind her mask, knowing that it was much too late for them to catch Ursa…

"What do we do then?!" they roared. Their faces glistened with panicky sweat, partially from the close proximity of the boiling water. Their eyes were dead white in their sockets and they looked as though they'd rather jump in the boiling lake before telling the warden about their mistake.

"We follow on the other gondola," she whispered with an aura of tranquility.

They all boarded the second gondola immediately, not even thinking about how they would catch the rogue prisoner once they got to the other side.

"How did he get out?"

"Which guy was it?"

"We have to make sure the warden doesn't find out!"

The traitorous guard watched the ever-fading first gondola dock in the station outside of the boiling lake. Ursa was free.

"OI!" they shrieked as they saw the shape of the prisoner depart from the gondola at a dead run.

It was then that Ursa's rescuer realized that there was a _tiny_ mistake in the plan: no final escape route. Wondering with pure dread of what Ursa might try, she willed the gondola to speed up so she could help her sooner…

Suddenly, Ursa noticed the second gondola dock in the station. The flaring lights and screaming guards were coming down on her faster than a cheetah-mouse. In the madness of it all, Ursa looked over the side of the cliff. There were hazardous rocks pointing out of the crashing ocean waves below. Not terribly inviting.

However, after countless months at the Boiling Rock, she was done. It was now or never. Hmmm, sharp rocks and crashing waves or months of isolation and torture for trying to escape? It wasn't a hard decision for Ursa. She'd rather die before going back to that cell of death.

With a final glance back to the guards that were sprinting towards her and shouting at the top of their lungs for her to come back; Ursa closed her eyes and begged the spirits to let her survive this. Without any hesitation, she backed up a few paces, ran forward, and _jumped_.

She faintly heard the voice of a girl screaming "No!" as she tumbled in free fall down the magnificently ragged cliff and plunged into the icy water.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

"_Nice try Mai, but if you can't take the heat, then you're not allowed to play."_

"_But Azula…"_

"_That's the rules!" Azula glowered in Mai's direction._

"_But…"_

"_Are you a traitor, Mai?"_

"_No, Azula, but…"_

"_Then why, may I ask, are you betraying my rules?"_

"_But…"_

"_Answer me!" Azula shrieked as she grabbed Mai's arm and threatened to burn her skin._

_Ursa, whom was watching in the distance, saw trouble. "Azula, don't you dare hurt Mai…"_

_Azula grinned maliciously and released a sting of heat around Mai's forearm. It wasn't _her_ fault that Mai defied her rules! Fear was the only reliable way to get Mai to listen…_

_Without thinking, Mai suddenly withdrew a sharp dagger and pierced Azula's skin. Azula screamed and scorched the flesh on Mai's arm in her panic. _

_Mai, seeing the blackened skin on her arm, bit back tears from the pain. Azula, ever the dramatist, was wailing as though Mai cut her arm off._

_Ursa rushed over and pulled the girls away from each other. _

"_Both of you! Apologize now!" Ursa hissed at them furiously. Mai mumbled an angry apology, and Azula continued screeching in fake agony. There hadn't even been any blood, but she held her arm closely to protect it from further harm. Mai may have said sorry, but Azula wasn't finished yet. She wouldn't allow this sort of treatment towards _her_, a princess…_

_**xXxXxXxXx**_

"_Ozai, Mai didn't do this on purpose. She was burned by Azula pretty badly, and she was only protecting herself."_

"_Protecting herself?" Ozai repeated darkly. "Perhaps I should consult the Firelord on this matter…you know the consequences of hurting a royal family member, Mai?"_

_Mai, terrified, stared at the wall to her left. Her whole body shook violently; who _didn't_ know the horrendous punishment for her seemingly insignificant crime? Ursa and Ozai were standing in the empty war chamber, she was on the ground, kneeling in respect to the prince. Flames surrounded her throughout the room; threatening to eat her alive._

"_Well!?" Ozai's eyes narrowed and he slapped Mai across the cheek. She fell on her side in shock of the impact, and held her stinging cheek with her tiny trembling hand. Her eyes watered up and a tear betrayed her as it slid down her face._

"_Ozai!" Ursa raged. "I think the lasting black mark on her arm from Azula is of enough punishment."_

_He glared at her, and she glared back with equal intensity. Mai didn't move from her vulnerable position on the ground; her face was splattered with tears. If she hadn't poked Azula with the knife, her arm would have been burned into a pile of black ashes. She only did it to save her arm!_

_Ozai grumbled temperamentally and strode out of the room. On his way past Mai, she cowered in fear of being hit again. When he left, Mai tried to get up. She felt Ursa's strong arms help her to her feet and embraced her in a tight hug. She fought the tears back and forced herself to be calm. Ursa had saved her from further and more severe punishment._

"_Thank you," she muttered tonelessly. She promised herself to return the favor someday…_

**xXxXxXxXx**

"What do you mean a prisoner escaped?!"

"Well, not exactly, sir, you see…whoever it was, they died. They uh, fell into the boiling lake in their attempt," the chief night guard finished lamely. Everyone knew it was a lie; that the prisoner hadn't actually fallen to their death in the boiling water, but the open ocean itself.

"Who was it?" the warden demanded.

"Princess Ursa," Mai uttered bitterly as she strode freely into the room without any invitation.

"_What?!_" the warden wasn't quite sure the Firelord would be happy to hear this one. "How do you know?"

Mai sighed, shielding her inner misery from the others. "Her cell is empty. Looks like one of the guards let her out."

Her uncle looked outraged. "Treachery! In _my_ prison?! I'll have none of it! Whoever is the one responsible for this will be thrown into the boiling lake with the dead prisoner!"

Everyone in the room gasped; except Mai. She had long since thrown her guard disguise in the boiling lake to hide any evidence that she was even remotely a part of the escape scheme, let alone the grand master of it.

While she expected her uncle to have a fit over the missing prisoner, she hadn't expected Ursa to jump the cliff and plunge to her death on those deadly rocks.

Ever since she first discovered Ursa cooped up in the prison several weeks ago, Mai had done everything she could to help. From faking her uncle's orders for time outside to giving her the warden's dinner scraps, Mai had given her the best she could. She knew exactly what it was like to feel trapped, and the feeling of freedom was better, even if you had to suffer to get there.

She just wish Ursa didn't have to die for her freedom…

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Firelord Ozai, we come bearing two important messages."

Ozai lazily nodded for the peasant mail-boy to hurry up and get out.

The young man fidgeted before pulling out the first scroll.

"From newly-Admiral Zhao: _Firelord Ozai, we had the Avatar in our custody, however, a menace we are calling the Blue Spirit ravaged our prison and kidnapped the boy. He was struck unconscious by our Yu Yan archers, but the Avatar escaped with him. We have sent thirty troops of our best men out on a search, so it is only a matter of time before they're caught._"

"Very well, write back for him to kill the Blue Spirit then," Ozai replied without flinching at the idea of murder. "He shall be rewarded greatly for doing so."

The messenger quickly scribbled some notes down, then shuffled through his sack and pulled out a short scroll. "From Warden of the Boiling Rock: _Firelord Ozai, it has come to my attention that Lady Ursa escaped two days ago and took her life by jumping into the boiling lake. There was no boy found, she must have been boiled alive for at least fourteen hours. There cannot possibly be any remains of the body left, I am sorry._"

The message was brief; well, that's usually how most Fire Nation people sent messages, since they usually had something better to do like fight Earth Kingdom miscreants or Water Tribe rebels. But this message involved someone's death...

Ozai paused, and looked up. "Ursa…dead?"

The petrified messenger nodded. "That's what the scroll says, Sir," he squeaked.

Ozai wasn't sure how he felt, actually. Part of him felt…sad. His wife was dead, even though they both hated each other, his beloved daughter Azula wouldn't have existed without her…

And yet…what a traitorous woman she was. And without her, he would have never had to even see that disgrace of a son he knew as Zuko…

"Interesting," Ozai replied at last.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Hakoda was in the port of Fu Ran Bay. It was just east of Whaletail Island, which was dangerously close to the Fire Nation. He had some sort of hunch that Ursa could be around there, but he still had no clues, unfortunately.

His men were weary, but never gave up on his quest. They all agreed that she saved them from capture, and therefore she deserved the same. Hakoda simply wished they could even find her.

They had run out of supplies while on the open sea a couple days ago, and immediately made port here. It offered no clues either, but at least his men were well-fed here.

Tired of his search, but unwilling to give up, Hakoda sat down in a local tea shop and ordered some Jasmine tea. His men were out making crazy bets with pirates; he had no desire to partake in such an activity.

"So yeah, I heard the Firelord's lady went suicidal," Hakoda overheard an old Earth Kingdom man say to his wife. They were sitting at a small table near Hakoda, just close enough for him to eavesdrop without getting noticed...

"Meh, if that's really true, then she was asking for it! Marrying that filthy, evil old soul!"

"Still, rumor has it that she boiled to death! Oh spirits, what an awful way to go!"

Hakoda turned his attention back to his cooling tea and took a sip. It wasn't overly hot anymore, but as he drank, he imagined pouring buckets of ridiculously hot tea on himself and boiling to death. He shivered slightly at the thought.

Then again, the old woman had it right: the Firelord's wife was probably crazy to marry him in the first place. Hakoda imagined her to be just as cruel and power-hungry as Ozai, the current Firelord. Ick, what an evil family. In a way, he was kind of glad to hear that their numbers were decreasing.

But enough of local gossip. He needed to get back to searching for Ursa.

**For the record, I purposely left a lot of plot details open-ended so you can use your imaginations figure out the puzzle. It's not like I forgot to mention stuff ;) **

**Anyways, hope you guys liked it, and I promise the next update will be sooner!**


	7. Bato of the Water Tribe

**Wow…I just **_**love**_** the positive responses from that last chapter! Thank you all for the great support, it's the reviewers who keep me going! :) Anyways, I've been trying to make each chapter progressively more intense, so I hope that's the vibe you're getting…I find it hilarious that you guys think it's a Zutara story…I mean, yeah it's got the waterxfire thing going on, but the only non-canon ship in this story (as far as I know for now) is HakodaxUrsa…hmmm I suppose I'll stop babbling and start writing then…enjoy!**

_Silence._

Azula, cautiously remaining in her submissive position, darted a quick glance up at her father. She wondered why he had even bothered calling her to his war room if he wasn't going to speak to her, let alone even acknowledge her.

This was one of his many strange behaviors Ozai had been displaying over the past few weeks. Azula hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, and suddenly he began avoiding her. If Ozai couldn't keep her away, he definitely avoided eye contact.

Azula was puzzled as to why he was doing that, but never asked him about it. He had become more dark and secretive lately, but on the outside, he was angry and demanding. Everyone who feared him before were now utterly petrified to be in his presence.

Azula heard the servants spreading rumors amongst themselves about why Ozai was acting this way. She didn't normally listen to their petty conversations, but she was just as curious as they were about her father's behavior.

"I heard the Avatar was killed and now they have to wait fourteen more years to find the Earth Kingdom one!"

Azula, who was listening closely from the hidden confines of her room, rolled her eyes. The pathetic, uneducated servants couldn't even get their facts straight. If the airbending Avatar was truly dead, then the next one would be from the Water Tribe. And he would be _sixteen_, not fourteen when his status was revealed. Azula smiled to herself as she felt a rush of selfish pride knowing that her intellectual was _far_ superior to anyone here. But that didn't matter at the moment, because the other servants had interesting rumors as well…

"Well I heard Prince Zuko was killed!"

Azula heard the servants gasp in surprise. She nearly snorted with laughter. If Zuko was really dead, Ozai would surely be _happy_. She knew that, personally, she would be overjoyed to learn that she was an only child now…

Back in the present, Azula was still kneeling on the surprisingly cold floor, feeling more and more irritated as time passed and Ozai continued to say nothing.

After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, Azula stood up without permission.

"Father, I really must…"

"_Don't speak!_" Ozai hissed at her. His fierce golden eyes briefly glanced at her as though he was noticing her for the first time. He was clearly deep in thought, and Azula's words had just interrupted him. Not good.

Azula glared at Ozai when he wasn't looking, but returned to her kneeling position.

"Azula," Ozai began in a barely audible tone. His eyes were closed, as though he were trying to focus on something. He trailed off after her name, trying to think of what to say.

Azula felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe he would finally tell her what has been troubling him the past several weeks?

"Do you remember…Ursa?" he asked softly.

Azula blinked. Ursa? As in Princess Ursa? His wife? Her…

"You mean my…_mother?_" she spit out the last word bitterly, as though it burned her tongue to say it.

Of course she remembered her mother. She always seemed to favor the inferior child in the family; namely, _Zuko_. Azula had tried everything to win her mother's favor, but eventually gave up and deemed her a lost cause for loving Zuko more than her.

And yet, while she told everyone that she hated her mother- including Ursa herself- something deep down was crushed. Ursa's indifference toward her daughter had destroyed the part of Azula that was carefree and…happy.

That's why it was always so easy for Azula to blame her mother for any misery she felt. Her hatred for Ursa built up over time; finally reaching its peak the night Ursa was banished.

"Yes, your mother…" Ozai replied distractedly. Azula shook her painful memories away and focused on the task at hand.

"What about her, Father?" she asked, wondering what in the world she had done to get Ozai so worked up lately.

This time, Ozai looked at her square in the eyes. It was the first time in a long time that he had actually made eye contact with her…

"She's…" he trailed off, his searching eyes bore into her own, forcing Azula to look away uncomfortably. There was a long pause, but Azula didn't dare return her attention to him, for he might take it the wrong way…

"Get out."

Azula looked back at him, clearly startled at this request. "But Father!" she spat back angrily, only to be cut off once again.

"I said _get out_," Ozai said in a tone that implied a death penalty if she didn't obey.

Furious, Azula bit her lip to keep from saying anything else. With one last glance at Ozai, she stood up and stomped out of the room, leaving Ozai alone on his precious throne.

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Heave men! We need to get this ship into port before sunset!"

The men grunted while they yanked as hard as they could on the sail's ropes.

Hakoda oversaw the procedure, and noticed one man was struggling near the bow of the ship. He jumped down and ran over to help him, as any good chief would do. To his surprise however, it wasn't just any man struggling, it was Bato.

"Bato?"

The weary man looked up and tried to smile cheerfully. "Hakoda…I'm fine, I just…"

"Bato your arm," Hakoda exhaled sharply as he saw a hint of raw flesh just beneath a layer of light bandages. He immediately went for Bato's left arm, but before he could reach it, Bato automatically jerked it back.

"I'm fine, really," Bato reassured him as he hid his arm behind his back. He inched backwards a few paces, just far enough to stay out of Hakoda's reach.

Hakoda's eyes narrowed as he noticed for the first time that Bato was wearing much more clothing than usual. Particularly strange, considering they were currently sailing the tropical waters just south of the Earth Kingdom.

His neck was wrapped in a thick layering of polar dog fur, and his coat was unevenly arranged around his body; almost as though he couldn't get the coat on his arm. His left hand was covered by an enormous glove, while his right hand was gloveless. Everything on the left side of his body was hidden by clothing and hastily-wrapped bandages.

"Bato…"

The men were all frozen now; looking on at the scene between the two men. Hakoda had backed Bato into a corner, and his only escape left was overboard.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on here?" Hakoda asked sternly, looking at Bato straight in the eye. The poor guy looked like he hadn't gotten a minute of sleep in ages…

Bato blinked back uncertainly. "Hakoda I'm fine, just…a little tired."

Hakoda's left eyebrow rose. "Really? If it really is just exhaustion, may you explain to me why you're wearing three layers of clothing in this summer-like weather?"

"I get the chills out here…maybe I have a small cold," he finished lamely, trying to complain as little as possible and not arouse suspicion.

Hakoda nodded. "Very well. Get some rest, then."

Bato sighed with relief and turned around to head below deck. Before he made it through the pack of onlookers, Hakoda called him back.

"Before you go, I'd appreciate it if you gave me my glove back," Hakoda smiled softly, as he pretended to be clueless about Bato's trick.

"Oh…of course, Chief," Bato gently pulled the glove off and tried to hide his left hand behind his back. Hakoda was expecting this, however, and snatched his wrist immediately.

The flesh was a contorted purplish color, and it felt soft and slimy from infection. Hakoda gasped as he removed the bandages- much to Bato's chagrin- and saw that the infection ran up the length of his arm.

"How long has this been going on?" Hakoda asked him quietly, trying to hide his panic.

"Not long…"

"I'm asking you to answer me _honestly_," Hakoda added tersely.

"I…a few weeks, I guess."

"Bato!"

"Chief, it's not painful, really…"

"We need to get you to a healer immediately."

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Ahhhhh!"

Hakoda jolted awake. It was nearly morning, and he had just heard one of the men screaming in pain.

Unfortunately, he knew who it probably was. Bato, his best friend, had hidden his burns and pain from Hakoda, just so that he wouldn't be a bother to the crew. Now, they were terribly infected and Hakoda half wondered if his arm would survive.

The firebenders attacked their ships a couple weeks ago; had Bato really let the burns infect his skin for that long? He sure hoped not, but he couldn't think of any other occasion of which Bato could have burned himself.

After hearing another muffled yell, Hakoda jumped out of his hammock and sprinted to Bato's room down the hall. He grabbed a lantern on his way in, and saw that Bato was jerking around in his sleep as though he were having a seizure. His body was glistening with sweat, and his infection was a dark blackish color. The infection was worsening.

Hakoda knelt down and carefully ran his hand along Bato's forehead. It was on fire. Not only had the infection gotten worse, but it was already affecting Bato's physical health as well.

With a last glance at his loyal friend, Hakoda opened the door and shut it carefully behind him.

"Bandages! I need fresh bandages!" Hakoda hollered across the hallways, waking up all of the men at once. "Wet cloths and fever herbs! I need them now! We have a very sick man right now and he needs our help!"

Hours later, Bato was resting peacefully on a cool mat on the floor. They had somehow found new bandages for his infection- the open air had made it worse- and all they needed now was a healer to cure him.

They made port at a place which was known to be a place where women made perfumes and specialized medicines. Perhaps they would be able to help Bato…

**xXxXxXxXx**

"More tea, Missy?"

"I've had quite enough thank you," she replied stubbornly.

"Aren't you polite?" the captain sneered. "I wouldn't be rude Missy…if we hadn't rescued you out of those Fire Nation waters you woulda been long gone by now."

"I believe I've already graciously thanked you for your generosity. I have also told you that I don't wish to intrude on your company too long and would gladly depart at your soonest convenience. And _yet_, you still hold me captive as though I'm worth something."

The captain stared at her, then chuckled. "I didn't understand a word ya just said."

Ursa glared at him. She wanted to leave this ship; _now_. While she had been enormously grateful- at first- she soon came to realize that living on a ship with pirates for a countless number of weeks wasn't exactly something she wanted to continue doing. Pirates, she soon learned, wanted more in life than simply treasure.

She couldn't quite explain what a band of pirates were doing in the middle of Fire Nation waters. She had a feeling it had something to do with the failed plan they briefly told her about…something about one of them impersonating some scarred kid and turning him in to the Firelord for some serious gold. Or something else ridiculous like that.

The thing she despised most was her initial arrival on the ship. Ursa immediately learned that being the only female aboard the vessel had some serious disadvantages.

"You've got nice hair, lady," one of the men had crooned as he swept his greasy hands through her wavy, dark hair. The awful smell of his breath floating around her face was bad enough, but this unwanted and unexpected attention had sent chills up her spine.

"Get away from me," Ursa replied icily as she jerked away from him. He later reported to his fellow crewmates that their new visitor was 'a moody gal.' The men growled with displeasure and refused to give her any food until the captain forced them to the next day.

Ursa didn't really care about what these dirty scoundrels did, as long as they stayed away from her. They were a disgusting and unpleasant lot; she doubted if any of them bathed regularly and they surely didn't have the work ethics of the Water Tribe men. They were _much_ lazier than Hakoda's men…

Spirits, she missed those guys. It had been many weeks since she had last seen them. Ursa wondered if they were doing okay. The thought of something bad happening to them made her feel nauseous and weak.

Her narrow escape from the Boiling Rock was the only thing that comforted her; the fact that somehow she was still alive. She had tasted death; it was a horrifying experience to come that close. Luckily, she had barely missed the jagged rocks in the ocean below, and paddled through the surrounding waters aboard a piece of driftwood for a couple days before the pirates discovered her.

Again, she stuck to her 'Fire Nation refugee' story to lower suspicions. The men didn't ask any revealing questions, and later didn't pay much attention to her after she played herself to be a paranoid "no-touchy" person. No fun.

Day after day, Ursa wondered who in the world could be her masked savior. Maybe she didn't even know the person. But then, why _her?_ Why not rescue the other people there instead of her?

Ursa shook the questions away. Every time she thought about her miraculous escape, she felt more and more perplexed. It was best just to ignore it and focus on getting off this ship…

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Here is more medicine, Bato," one of the sisters handed the wounded Water Tribesman a fresh cup of tea. He knew it was loaded with herbs to help him fall asleep sooner, but he didn't want to sleep tonight.

It was the second week since his tribe's departure from the area. Bato had been healing well, but at the peak of his infection, he was in no shape to travel. Weakened to the point where he could barely walk and keep his eyes open, Hakoda had carried his brave friend down a gently sloped hill. They trudged on for half a day, and eventually came to a small village of perfume and medicine makers.

The ladies gladly welcomed the ill man into their encampment, and pledged to take the very best care of him. Hakoda was initially startled by this, and said that he refused to leave Bato behind. But the women explained that Bato would need at least two weeks to recuperate before he would be well enough to go back out to sea. Hakoda was devastated.

He knew two weeks would be wasted if he sat around doing nothing but watch after Bato. His men agreed with him that they needed to go and meet their other ships in the Eastern Earth Kingdom. Bato would be able to join them when he recovered.

Hakoda left behind a ship for Bato to use when he was ready to meet them again; him and the rest of his men traveled by land to their next destination. As Hakoda packed up to leave, he left behind a few Water Tribe items for Bato…he wanted him to be as comfortable as possible while he healed.

The day they were set to depart, Bato awoke to wave them goodbye. Hakoda briefly asked him privately if he should stay with him, but Bato shooed him away.

"I'll meet you as soon as I can. But the rest of the men need you in the Earth Kingdom, not here."

The two friends exchanged sad goodbyes and Hakoda left.

Only on the third day of their trek through the southern Earth Kingdom did Hakoda realize that his decision to meet his other men the eastern part of the Earth Kingdom meant that his search for Ursa was over. He hadn't necessarily given up; but he understood that he was in the middle of a war and did not have time to take side trips. He had tried- without success- for several weeks…it wasn't like he didn't give an honest effort.

He sincerely hoped she was okay; perhaps after the war was over he would find her. But right now, his men needed him. He had no choice but to honor his family and help the Water Tribe fight off Fire Nation ships up north…

Back in the small village near the sea, Bato desperately longed to go out to the abandoned ship and sail away. He knew the journey would be hard and dangerous, but his separation from his tribe was more troubling than the open sea. After two weeks of lonely isolation from nearly everyone, he was ready to leave.

He was incredibly grateful to the villagers, of course. But they were afraid that he may have acquired a contagious disease from the wounds' exposure to open air, so they certainly had kept their distance.

Bato knew he was nearly well again. He could very well set off tonight to meet back up his tribe…after an hour or so of mulling it over, he decided that it was worth a shot.

When he heard the conversations in the courtyard die down, he silently sneaked out of his darkened tent. His carefully-wrapped bandages severely restricted his body movement, but he ignored them. He watched the ladies walking around the nearby yard, and when none were looking, he bolted for the gate.

Most of the women would be asleep by now; luckily for Bato, none of them seemed to hear him carefully unlatch the gate and dart out into the open forest.

His instincts told him to head south, so he decided to go ahead and see where it brought him. He hiked laboriously up a large hill and came through a thick patch of trees into an open area.

Even in the darkness of night, he knew where he was. The sand squished in between the toes of his bare feet, and he immediately recognized the sound of waves crashing up ahead of him. The moon was nearly hidden by clouds tonight, but his trained eyes eventually aligned themselves to the darkness and he could see the beach quite clearly.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Bato saw the flicker of fire. Immediately thinking that it was a group of firebenders, Bato hastily retrieved his whale-tooth knife from its sheath and crept along the sand as quietly as he could manage.

He hid behind a boulder and peeked around to find the enemies camping around a small fire. Two of them were sleeping next to a huge Fire Nation monster, and one of them was sitting up, poking at the fire.

Bato held his knife steady and prepared a sneak attack on the Fire Nation men. He was still one hundred yards or so away, but if he could get closer, then he would have a shot at taking them down. Not once did he remember that the bandages on his chest and arms would most likely restrict any kind of advanced fighting…there was too much adrenaline pumping through Bato now. This could be his payback moment…for the firebenders whom had burned him so badly that he was forced to stay behind while his tribe moved on without him…

As he darted in and out of the tree grove that ran alongside the beach, Bato was closing in on the three men at a fast pace. When he was finally within a couple yards of them, however, he finally noticed that the man sitting up wasn't a big man at all. It was a teenager. And he wasn't wearing Fire Nation clothes. He was wearing…blue? It didn't make any sense…

Bato tried creeping closer, but a twig snapped loudly under his foot, causing him to freeze immediately.

The only person not sleeping instantly stood up. "Who's there?" he called out.

_I know that voice_, Bato gasped in surprise. He walked out of his hiding place and back onto the sand; at once, he recognized the person whom he had originally thought to be a firebender.

"Sokka?"

**xXxXxXxXx**

Another three weeks had passed, and Ursa was still held captive aboard the pirates' ship. They had only made port once; unfortunately for her, it was Whaletail Island. There was no way she could have escaped onto that place, because she knew that the Southern Raiders patrolled the area and would have immediately spotted her.

Thus, she had been forced to remain on the ship. The men barely fed her, but strangely, allowed her free roam of the ship. It was sort of like her time in the Boiling Rock, but she had slightly more freedom.

The next stop was supposedly some rare perfume place on the coast of mainland Earth Kingdom. The pirates certainly didn't intend to pay for the perfumes; Ursa knew they really intended to raid the place then sell their stolen fragrances on the black market for tons of gold.

Ursa minded her own business for the most part. Perhaps while they were busy raiding the perfume village, she could escape without a trace…

She wasn't sure of a plan, but she knew that she would resort to firebending if the situation required it. Ursa was dreadfully sick of this ship and had recently resolved that she would use any means of escaping this floating prison.

If possible, however, she would prefer to leave undetected, rather than causing a huge scene.

The morning they docked on the shore, three men came to her room and informed her that they were staying behind to insure that she would stay on the ship. Ursa was outraged. She couldn't even figure out _why_ they were keeping her here! Why couldn't she just leave?!

Sighing angrily to herself and trying to formulate a plan as soon as possible, she glanced out the window to see where the men were headed. She couldn't see any of them, but on the nearby shore, she saw a damaged ship lying on its side. She thought nothing of it and turned away.

However, in the back of her mind, there something was strangely familiar about that ship, so Ursa looked at it again. It was made of sturdy wood and…

_Blue sails_, Ursa breathed in sharply. She immediately stood up and walked up to the door. She pounded on it, trying to get the their attention. The men were sprawled out on the ground, playing cards.

"Hey! I gotta go to the bathroom," Ursa said with a hint of false urgency.

The three men looked at each other uncomfortably before one of them darted up and let Ursa out. She tried heading toward the exit, but he pointed her down the hall, in the opposite direction.

Ursa locked the door and looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon. Nothing was suitable.

Looking up, she noticed a small, round window. Outside was a view of the open seas. On the other side of the ship, she would have been looking out at a beach.

Smiling to herself, Ursa took a step back and closed her eyes. With a deep breath, she released a relatively small blast of fire against the wall of the ship. The wood burned away, leaving a gaping hole for Ursa to escape through. She heard the men get up and start running down the hall, but she wasn't going to give them a chance to stop her. Without further ado, she jumped into the ocean and plunged below the ship, out of sight.

The ship wasn't very wide, so crossing underneath it and swimming towards the beach wasn't difficult at all. Once on the beach, Ursa slowed down. Her clothes were sopping wet, and the extra weight made it hard to run. She stripped off her outermost layer of clothing, which she hardly needed in this balmy weather, anyways.

Hearing the pirates' shouts from the ship behind her, she tore off into the tree grove and ran as fast as she could away from the beach.

Her legs burned from the strain of running, but she refused to even slow down. The trees were growing thicker in quantity, until she couldn't sprint freely through them at all. Ursa reversed her route and headed down a hill, towards a small little village. She ran along the outskirts of the village's walls and desperately wanted to slow down. However, she heard the pirates shouts growing closer, so she had no choice but to speed up.

Ursa darted back into the trees when she met a dirt road that led north. It would have been too noticeable if she stuck to the path, so she decided to create her own.

After another two miles or so, she looked back over her shoulder to see if anyone had managed to follow. They hadn't.

She was finally free. Smiling to herself, Ursa turned her head back to her running path, just in time to see the campfire she tripped over.

"Ah!" she yelped as she went down into the flames. She wasn't the least bit burned, but the appearance of fire in the middle of nowhere was certainly startling.

"Who's there?" she heard a man's voice say. Looking up, she noticed that she had stumbled into someone's campsite. There was a small brown tent pitched off to the side, and a blue sleeping bag was hastily thrown over a low tree branch to dry.

Ursa was startled to find a weapon pointed at her face and scooted backwards, away from the fire.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but…Bato?" she recognized his face as soon as she saw it.

The man's angry expression was replaced by one of utter disbelief. "Ursa, that can't be you…?"

Ursa stood up and nodded excitedly. After so many weeks away from her Water Tribe friends…here she was…Hakoda was probably close by…

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.

Bato spoke first. "I'm on my way to meet up with the rest of my tribe."

Ursa's face fell. "You mean…they're not here?"

Bato shook his head sadly. "They're at least three weeks away from here, in the eastern Earth Kingdom."

"Oh…well, what are you doing here, then?"

"I was injured…and the burns got infected. I'm much better now, though," he said happily.

"Have you tried putting Luaza herbal cream on the burns?"

Bato glanced at her strangely. "Never heard of that stuff. Is it any good?"

"It's the best. My kids used to burn each other all the time and I…" she trailed off; horrified that she had just revealed to Bato that her kids were firebenders.

He seemed to think nothing of it, though. "Well, there's a large town coming up within the next couple days, maybe I can find some there…"

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Ever since you left, Hakoda demanded that we find you. We've been searching for you nearly nonstop…we are very grateful for what you did. You saved my life."

"Oh stop…"

"No, I'm serious, Ursa. If you hadn't taken out those soldiers, we would have been burned much worse."

It was late at night, and the two were sitting around the fire. Ursa had tried the sea prunes and nearly vomited, so Bato had given her a bowl of rice to eat instead.

"So have you been okay by yourself?" Ursa asked, changing the subject.

Bato brightened. "Actually, Hakoda's kids were here recently. They left two days ago."

"Really?"

"Yes…they were traveling with the Avatar…"

Ursa muffled a gasp. "The Avatar…?"

After all, her husband had tried- and failed- to find the airbender for months. He had only returned home because Ursa had informed him that he was now the proud father of a son.

"Yes. Katara, Hakoda's daughter, is his waterbending teacher."

"Hakoda will be so proud when he hears that," Ursa replied wistfully, thinking of what an honor it would be to have one of her kids teaching the Avatar…

"Hakoda's kids are great. Aang, that's the Avatar, is surprisingly powerful…Sokka told me the boy's just twelve years old."

Ursa smiled softly at the mention of Hakoda's kids. It made her think about her own, though, and how much she missed them. Even Azula.

And _Aang_. What an interesting name. To think that Azulon had wanted Iroh and Ozai to track him down and kill him…he was just a kid! Certainly Iroh wouldn't have done it. Ozai, on the other hand…

"Unfortunately that Zuko kid attacked with this bounty hunter and her giant animal…"

Ursa, previously staring into the fire and nearly tuning him out, jerked her head up.

"What?"

Remembering that Ursa was Fire Nation, Bato wondered if she had heard of that person before. "Prince Zuko attacked, so Aang, Katara, and Sokka left on Appa."

"Prince Zuko?" she repeated, her heart and mind racing a mile a minute. Her body was shivering with bundled-up anticipation. "You did say _Prince Zuko?_"

Puzzled by her persistence, Bato nodded. "Yes…why?"

"My son's name…was Zuko," she replied tearfully, forgetting that Bato was even there.

Memories of her beloved son flashed through her mind: sitting by the pond and feeding turtle ducks…walking along the beach on Ember Island at sunrise…going to see those ridiculous plays at the Ember Island theater…playing dragons with both him and Azula when they were really young…his sweet, carefree laughter…

After all these years…thinking that he was, well, _dead_…she couldn't believe what she was hearing…

"He's alive?" she asked him at once, standing up and gazing out at the sea from the top of the cliff where there campsite was. She wouldn't give herself false hope like she had so many times in the past. She needed confirmation before she would have any hope.

"Zuko's alive?" she prodded him further.

Bato wasn't entirely sure what was going on. "Well, Prince Zuko, the son of the Firelord? Yeah he's alive, but we're not talking about the same person."

When Ursa turned around, Bato noticed that tears were streaming down her face. She was speechless.

So was he, for several minutes. He stared blankly at her, wondering who in the world this woman really was.

After a long period of silence between them, Bato spoke cautiously: "_Are_ we talking about the same person?"

To irrational to speak, Ursa sat down and absentmindedly poked the fire with her bare hands. Bato noted this, but said nothing.

"He _attacked_ Hakoda's kids…but _why_?" she asked, turning to Bato as though he would explain everything.

"Well, maybe there's more Zukos than just that guy," Bato replied weakly. "He's the son of the Firelord, that's all I know."

_I was afraid of that_, Ursa thought as she groaned inwardly.

Noticing the mortified expression on Ursa's face and her unresponsiveness, Bato took the hint.

"You know the Firelord then?" he asked, hoping that it wasn't more than a close acquaintanceship.

Ursa shook her head as she unsheathed a long-hidden crown from her coat. It was a magnificent maroon-colored crown, with a band of pure gold to hold her hair in.

She held it delicately in her hands, as though she were admiring it for a period of time.

Suddenly, her face became contorted with rage, and she plunged the crown as deep into the campfire as she could manage. The fire soared several feet in the air, and sparks flew everywhere from the force of an angry firebender tampering with the flames. Bato jumped backwards, but Ursa remained sitting where she was. Sparks landed all over her, but she ignored them.

"Ozai carved that for me," she began in a nearly inaudible tone. Her golden eyes looked wistful and sad again. Almost like she was reliving the day Ozai gave the crown to her...

**xXxXxXxXx**

"_Ozai, how much longer?" sixteen year-old Ursa asked him, clearly irritated with having to hike for several miles without knowing where she was even going._

_Ozai grinned mischievously. "Just a little longer, I swear to Agni."_

_Ursa rolled her eyes and smiled as he reached down to help her onto the final ledge before the peak. _

_They were walking up the steep mountain just outside of the Palace city in the middle of a storm. Ursa didn't exactly like crazy adventures as much as Ozai did, but she figured it had to be something good. Ozai promised it would be, anyways. Even with lightning cracking all around them, Ursa felt safe with Ozai around._

_Part of the mountain was covered in little green plants, and beneath those was a layer of charred earth. The plants whipped against her ankles with the fierce winds, but she hardly felt them. It was a very strenuous hike, so Ozai was sure to walk slowly and help Ursa whenever she needed it._

_She had stumbled a few times already, but Ozai was always there to take the fall for her. His face was already blackened with the burnt earth from when he had thrown himself down earlier to ensure that Ursa wouldn't fall flat on her own face._

"_Here we are," he said proudly as he reached the top. A couple seconds later, Ursa reached the top as well and gawked at the sight of lava. _

"_You told me this was a mountain!"_

_Ozai laughed. "Mountain, volcano, you know I mess things up occasionally."_

_Ursa rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder playfully. "So why did you take me to the top of a volcano?"_

_Without a word, Ozai ran over and jumped over the edge and into the lava._

"_OZAI!" Ursa screamed as she ran over to the edge to look for him. Did he seriously take her up here so she could witness his suicide?!_

_Much to her relief, Ozai had somehow planned this out: he had landed on a shelf in the volcano that was just above the lava._

"_You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Ursa scolded him as she tried regaining her composure._

_Ozai rolled his eyes and held out a hand to help her onto the shelf. She eyed him uncertainly._

"_Are you sure this is safe?"_

"_Do you trust me?" he asked her seriously; his handsome golden eyes dazzled from the glow of the lava around them._

_Nodding, Ursa took his hand and stepped next to him. Ozai kneeled down and carefully placed his hand into the lava._

"_You…?"_

_Ozai held his free hand up to silence her as his other hand searched around the lava. Finally, he found it. He pulled his arm up slowly and began plucking the lava off of the item in his hand._

"_You learned lava-bending?" Ursa breathed in awe as she watched him._

"_For you," he said breathlessly as he handed her a brightly-shining metal crown. _

_Ursa was stunned. He had ingeniously hidden an engagement crown in a volcano. She didn't know what to say._

"_Will you…?"_

"_Yes," she said with tears of joy as he helped her place the strangely cool crown in her hair. _

"_It's the most beautiful thing I've ever gotten," she told him later as they sat on a ledge that looked out over the palace and surrounding city._

"_I love you," Ozai said, his eyes locking onto hers._

"_I love you too," she whispered back as Ozai reached over and kissed her. Ursa held back for a moment, before wiping Ozai's rain-soaked hair out of his face and kissing him back._

**xXxXxXxXx**

"You said you loved me!" Ursa screamed as though Ozai were right in front of her. She flung more fire into the raging one in front of her, making the campfire soar even higher.

By now, Bato's eyes wider than a cat-owl's. Everything had fallen into place, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe that _she_ was…well, _his_ Fire Lady…

Bato tried to comfort her; because he thought he could somewhat understand what she was feeling…and he also feared more outrageous firebending moves. Ursa closed her eyes and dropped her head in shame. The fire immediately quieted with her mood change.

She should have worried about Ozai, but she was too confused as to why her sweet little Zuko would attack anyone. Sure, if it was Azula they were talking about, she would have understood perfectly. But _Zuko_? It…it just wasn't possible! He wasn't like that…or had the five years of her absence changed him?

_No,_ she thought angrily. _Zuko would never be like that._

Still, if what Bato said was true, then her son really did attempt to hurt Hakoda's kids. And now Bato knew who she was. She was so ashamed; she didn't even try denying it.

"Don't tell Hakoda," she whispered.

**Wow, this is the longest chapter yet…next one will come soon (wasn't this update fast?) Any comments/ideas/whatever, feel free to tell me ;)**


	8. Lightning

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the great reviews last chapter, I really appreciate the encouragement, but I really ****adore**** reviews when people give me some helpful advice//strengths in the chapter//weaknesses in the chapter//favorite part//etc. A million cookies for everyone who left a comment, though ;)**

**Okay, I'm not going to spoil anything, but I worked really hard to fit in a lot of irony and allusions (and some foreshadowing), so I hope that you pay extra-close attention to the story this chapter…I also sprinkled some clues as to what's going on in the next chapter. Yes, I'll admit I did wander off for the first half of the chapter, but I promise it's only added to further the storyline (and make sense of stuff that happened in the actual show that Bryke left open-ended). This was probably one of the hardest chapters to write so far, but hopefully I did okay.**

**Enjoy~**

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

Azula's eyes opened at once. Would those awful servants never give it a rest? It wasn't as though they had any reason to be moving around seeing that no one in the royal family was around…

Trying to concentrate on the blue flames on the candles in front of her, she closed her eyes once more.

_Thud. Thud. BOOM!_

"That's it!" Azula snarled as the flames shot upward. She immediately got up and stomped out of her room; slamming the door angrily behind her.

Hearing the princess coming down the halls, the servants scattered into different directions before she came around the corner. Blue flames licked her clenched fists, just waiting to burn whatever servant had caused such a disturbance in her otherwise calming meditation session.

Unfortunately the pathetic slaves were nowhere in sight; what a shame. The look on their faces as she scorched every last hair on their heads would have been a great birthday present.

The sun was close to setting by now and Ozai had been missing the entire day. Azula had seen him duck secretively out of the palace just before sunrise; not once did he even acknowledge her or the fact that today was her birthday.

Today, she had turned fourteen years old. Her father had thought it to be terribly bad luck when Azula was born in winter. Zuko, like most other Fire Nation people, was born in the summer. It was extremely rare for firebenders to be born in any other season besides summer.

Imagine his surprise when the summer-born child ended up completely useless and his winter-born child possessed legendary firebending abilities.

Azula smiled proudly for a brief moment. Her grandfather, Azulon, and great-grandfather, Sozin, were also winter-born firebenders. For some reason the trend skipped a generation, making Ozai fear that the winter-baby blessing was gone.

Even after everything she had done to make her father love her, however, he still ignored her on her own birthday. Usually that attitude was only reserved for dear Zuzu's birthdays…

"Where _is_ he?" Azula muttered to herself as she silently searched the halls of the palace. No one was even in the palace, by the looks of it. The thought of a surprise party didn't even flicker through her mind; those sorts of celebrations were reserved for the filthy peasants.

After nearly half an hour of searching, Azula gave up. Her father had been gone for weeks at a time in the past; it wasn't like she relied on him for emotional support or anything. She decided to go to bed; this day was boring enough as it was, and waiting around for Ozai didn't particularly excite her any more than going to sleep.

Anyways, wherever her father was, he was probably somewhere important…

**xXxXxXxXx**

"_Congratulations Prince Ozai," Lieutenant Zhao bowed respectfully to the prince before turning to the woman sitting next to him. He carefully grasped her pale white hand and kissed the top of it. "On your fine marriage to Lady Ursa."_

_Ozai said nothing, but gave the man a stiff smile and nodded. _

"_May the spirits bestow nothing but good luck upon you," Iroh added as he walked up the steps to the dining area of the new Royal couple. He bowed to his brother and his new wife before sitting down on a comfy maroon chair and pouring himself a cup of jasmine tea. _

_The balcony where the Royal family and their closest friends sat overlooked an enormous crowd of people whom had come to witness the second prince's marriage; not a clue in the world that the man in front of them would be their next Firelord…_

_Ursa chatted animatedly with Iroh, while Ozai ate in silence. His big day had finally come, but it seemed so…dull. He had expected so much more than such a simple wedding. Iroh's wedding with his late wife was _much_ grander than this informal disgrace._

_Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a messenger come running up to Zhao and whispered something in his ear. Ozai tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, but the roar of the partying crowd was deafening. _

"_Best wishes to you and my new aunt, Uncle Ozai," he heard a voice from behind him. Slightly startled, Ozai whirled around to see none other than Lu Ten, Iroh's five year-old son. He was grinning goofily, and gave him a small wave, even though they were just two feet apart._

_Ugh, Ozai didn't know what to say to him. He wasn't too good with kids yet. He knew he'd better figure out this exotic species known as human children though…his wife certainly wouldn't shut up about how much she wanted a beautiful daughter to raise…_

_Unsure of how to get the little freak away from him, Ozai nodded and suggested that he go find his father._

_Lu Ten cocked his head and looked over Ozai's shoulder. "Daddy's talking to Auntie Ursa, though."_

"_Daddy?" Ozai repeated in a strained voice. Did this boy show no respect for authority? He knew if he ever managed to raise his own kids, they would never be allowed to disrespect him with such a demeaning title._

"_None of this 'Daddy' business. You call him 'Father,'" Ozai responded coldly._

_Taken aback by Ozai's sudden ire, Lu Ten froze and his boyish grin disappeared. "I'm sorry Uncle Ozai, it won't happen again."_

_He tore off in the opposite direction, apparently determined to stay away from his uncle for as long as possible._

_Ozai sighed with relief. He thought the kid would never leave! _

"_May I borrow him for a moment?" he heard Zhao asking Ursa next to him._

"_It's not very traditional," Ursa protested before seeing the oh-please-get-me-out-of-here look on her husband's face. "But okay."_

_Ozai jumped up a little too eagerly, but Ursa hardly noticed. Zhao strolled at a leisurely pace down the walkway, until they both halted at the end balcony. It overlooked the Royal palace's backyard: the untouched, vibrant green hills that led to the vast azure ocean. It was nearly sunset by now; the pink and orange colors glittered peacefully among the waves, and the fluffy white clouds hung low in the sky._

_To Ozai, the entire scene was disgusting._

"_Sir, I don't know how to say this but…" Zhao trailed off, using the sunset as a distraction._

_Ozai walked up to the ledge of the handrails, where Zhao was apparently lost in thought._

"_Yes, what is it?" Ozai urged him on in a grave voice as he tried ignoring the sickeningly beautiful scene in front of them._

"_I ah…our soldiers near the Northern Water Tribe area claimed to have seen the Avatar recently…"_

"_The Avatar?" Ozai cut him off. "How do they know?"_

"_They swear by the spirits that they saw fire and water moving at the same time…by one person's bending."_

"_Certainly not the airbender though…?"_

"_Well, as you are well aware, our top sources believe some of the airbenders have survived over the years…"_

Impossible, _Ozai thought. And yet…what if it truly was the Avatar? Imagine the honor he would receive if __**he**__ was the one who captured the seemingly long-gone airbender? Azulon would undoubtedly revoke Iroh's birthright and give him the throne first…_

_Firelord Ozai. Wow, that sounded good. Ignoring the possible hardships he would face on the open seas, the idea of him being crowned Firelord before his older brother was enough to convince him._

"_Ready the ships, we'll leave tonight."_

_Zhao hesitated. He hadn't expected such a quick response. "But sir, your wedding…"_

_Ozai frowned, looking as though that unpleasant little reminder ruined his plans completely. Knowing that Ursa wouldn't want to miss him tonight, he considered another plan._

"_Fine. I want a fleet of ships ready by morning."_

_Zhao nodded and bowed with respect before departing. Ozai glared out to the open ocean with contempt. The universe had hidden the Avatar from his nation for too long; it was time for him to end the old man's game of hide-and-seek. If it truly was the airbender, then he had to be over seventy years old by now. Piece of cake._

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ozai stared into the enticing lava of the volcano. It would be so easy just to jump in and get _it_ over with. Somehow, he held back. Not for Azula's sake, and _definitely_ not for Zuko's sake, but he really didn't want to die. He believed there was some way to gain immortality, and he was determined to find out the secret before trying anything crazy.

His own chase for the Avatar had ended a little over sixteen years ago. The day his disgrace of a son Zuko was born…

"_Prince Ozai, we just received a messenger hawk," Admiral Yon Rha informed him._

_Frustrated after months of pointless searching for the Avatar, Ozai had nearly lost all his patience by now. If it was just another rumor about the Avatar's whereabouts, he was going to kill someone…_

"_Well what is it?!"_

"_It's…a message from Lady Ursa. She, well…here," he awkwardly handed Ozai the scroll. It was wet from the rain that had been pelting their ship for the last week. _

_After finding out that the Avatar wasn't in the Northern Water Tribe, Ozai had nearly given up and gone home after just two months at sea. Lo and behold, another rumor that the Avatar was at the Eastern Air Temple popped up, and Ozai decided to give it one more shot. He was so obsessed with proving his worth to his father that he was willing to do whatever it took to capture the Avatar. _

_He went inside the cozy warm cabin, shoving many of the weary crewmen out into the storm so he could have some peace to himself. Ozai carefully unraveled the scroll and read it, not quite believing his eyes. _

_He must of reread the paper at least four times before it sunk in: he was a father. His eyes continued shifting over one part of her letter:_

"…due to your absence, I have taken it upon myself to name the boy Zuko…you know I always wanted a daughter, but I'm sure you'll be happy to have your son. He looks just like you. Please come home…little Zuko can't wait to meet his father…"

_He had been ecstatic. Finally, after all this time-wasting Avatar-nonsense, he had an excuse to go home. It had been nearly nine months since he was home, so he was definitely looking forward to it._

_However, there was something about the name that didn't stick. _

"_Zuko." _

_The first time he ever said the name aloud, he had unconsciously wrinkled his nose in disgust. _

_Thank Agni it was a boy though; girls were mostly useless anyways. Ursa would have to wait before he'd even consider another child…hopefully it'd be another son though…_

Back in the present, Ozai remembered his first day meeting Zuko. He had thrown up on him. _Not_ a good start at all.

Growling to himself, Ozai pushed Zuko out of his mind. When Azula had come, he had been terribly disappointed; _especially_ considering the fact that the girl came in the middle of winter!

Ursa, on the other hand, was thrilled. She would finally have another female around to dress up in ridiculous outfits, play with dolls, and maybe even help Azula with any boy problems when she became a teenager.

And yet, within two years of Azula's birth, it was clear that Ursa had grown unusually fond of Zuko. Ozai had originally thought that Azula could be "Ursa's child" and Zuko would be "his child" and it actually ended up being the exact opposite. Azula's potential was clear to Ozai early on, while Zuko didn't show much at all at _any _point in his life. Heck, he was two years older than her, and he ended up firebending for the first time a year _after_ his younger sister.

At that point, Ozai realized that Azula was undoubtedly born lucky. Everything came so naturally to her, and every feature on her face was flawless. Zuko, on the other hand, had some growing up to do. Azula surpassed him in height by the time she was six, and Zuko was still a little chubby kid before he began filling out around age ten. His awkwardness as a child had forced him to pick up bad habits when firebending; after a while, Ozai learned that they were irreversible and his so-called wonderful son would be a lousy bender forever.

Forcing himself to shake all the unpleasant memories away, Ozai realized that the sun was almost gone over the horizon. He had to get back down before the nightly gusts picked up…

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Firelord Ozai, a message has arrived for you," a servant announced to Ozai as soon as he returned to the comforts of the warm palace.

Azula, bored to death of doing basically nothing her entire birthday, had long since gone to sleep. She didn't even hear Ozai return…

In the dimly-lit hall, Ozai snatched the scroll from the servant and headed for his throne in the war room. He walked to the top of the throne, lit a wall of flames in front of him, and then sat down to read the tattered scroll.

It was from Lieutenant Ji, how very interesting. Part of him wondered if Zuko had finally gotten himself killed…

His eyes lazily ran across the scroll, but he realized this wasn't just any old news. This was actually…_important_.

After several minutes of rereading the paper, he barked for a servant to come over to him.

"Yes, Firelord Ozai?"

Glancing down at the paper one more time, he looked up. "Fetch Azula."

"Sir, I believe she's sleeping and…"

"Did I ask for excuses?" Ozai asked icily. The nervous man shook his head and sprinted as fast as he could out of the room.

"Princess Azula!" the man pounded on her door, expecting a wave of homicidal rage to meet him any second. "Please wake up…"

She slowly opened the door and peeked out. Her face had 'you-die-_now_' written all over it.

"Your…your father has requested your presence…" he stumbled over the words while he backed up and bumped into a corner as though he were planning an escape.

Azula laughed cruelly. "Ha ha, my father wants to talk to me?" Suddenly she turned very serious. "Whoever thought of that lie will pay," she added harshly as blue flames sprouted from her hands.

And yet, for some reason, she went anyways. Maybe her father would actually tell her what's been on his mind lately…or even acknowledge her new age?

She waltzed in sleepily and kneeled, waiting for yet another order for her to get out before he revealed anything. Instead, this time Ozai actually spoke.

"The siege of the Northern Water Tribe failed," he began, feeling a sense of overwhelming hatred for that place, considering he had once believed the Avatar was hiding there. Not only that, but the best man from his wedding, Admiral Zhao, been murdered during the invasion by unknown means. And apparently Zuko had let the Avatar escape him for the billionth time as well…

"Iroh is a traitor. And your brother Zuko is a failure…I have a task for you."

Azula grinned evilly as she looked up and awaited her father's next orders…

**xXxXxXxXx **

Ursa could feel her heart tugging at her chest at the sight that lay before her. It was just past sunrise, and on the other side of the bay, she saw the grand blue sails of the Water Tribe ships.

After many weeks of wandering into random villages and getting lost countless times, they were here.

Ursa hadn't seen Hakoda in months. She wondered if he missed her as much as she had missed him. While she enjoyed Bato's company through their extensive travels overland, she missed having someone around who felt like an equal. Not to belittle Bato or anything, but whenever they had a decision to make, he let her make the choices. Not that she minded, but she always felt as though, deep down, Bato still harbored some fear about her, which made their friendship a little uncomfortable at times.

It wasn't exactly shocking; he was the only one who knew her true identity, anyways. She just hoped he would keep that a secret…

As they walked down the sand in silence, Ursa pondered which tent was Hakoda's. The men were working all around the site, but she couldn't spot Hakoda anywhere. Perhaps he was on one of the ships?

The closer they got, the faster Ursa heart raced. She was wearing a new, brilliant blue Water Tribe outfit. After weeks of hiking through dense forests and crossing violent rivers, she was forced to find a new outfit in the nearest town before they arrived.

She was pleasantly surprised to find a Northern Water Tribe merchant in the giant town; of course, like most other vendors, he was quick to snatch up her gold. However, he certainly gave her the best Water Tribe outfit he had.

"Bato!" the men greeted him enthusiastically as they entered the camp. They were quick to form a circle around the two travelers, and everyone seemed to be speaking at once.

"Bato, are you completely well?"

"Where've you been? We expected you a week ago."

"Who's your friend?"

Everyone immediately paused and looked at Ursa. Blushing from the unexpected attention, Ursa hastily removed the hood of her parka. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders as the men stared in shock.

A couple of them instantly recognized her; Ursa remembered them from the lone ship that Zhao attacked so long ago. The others who weren't there when Ursa first came on the ship wondered what in the world a woman was doing here.

"I know some of you remember Ursa?" Bato broke through the silence. "She's a friend of Hakoda, and our tribe owes her…"

"Nothing," Ursa cut him off, hating the fact that her surrender to Zhao kept coming up again. Then she smiled. "I really hope you don't mind me intruding…"

"Of course not," Bato cut her off as well.

"Are you from the Northern Water Tribe?" one of the men who didn't know her asked.

Ursa froze. Some of the men knew she was a firebender, but some of them didn't. She didn't know how to respond to that. She so desperately wanted to reply 'yes' to the man.

And yet, if she lied, she would force a few of the men to hide the fact that a firebender was living amongst them. She didn't want to force them to divide their loyalties just because of her.

"Yes, she's from our sister tribe," Bato answered for her, giving her a helpful smile.

"No," Ursa shook her head. "I'm not from the Northern Water Tribe, I'm from…the Fire Nation."

She bit her lip as a few of the men raged about Bato allowing a Fire Nation woman to invade their camp. The ones from Hakoda's ship were silent. They knew she had to tell the truth, and they knew their fellows would react like this, but they didn't know what else to say.

"Spy!" one man accused her and a few others nodded fiercely in agreement.

"But she is a close friend of Hakoda," Bato firmly reminded them over the chaos and shouting. "He is fully aware that she is a firebender."

"She's a firebender too?" one of the men whispered with disgust, making Ursa feel like a freak.

"We welcome her," one of the men piped up. "She saved our lives."

Ursa rolled her eyes, wondering when they would let that go. Luckily for her, though, the rest of the men eventually quieted and looked reassured by the fact that their chief had befriended her. Even the boldest of the rioters steadily calmed down and nodded their heads in acceptance.

Noticing that Hakoda hadn't even come out yet, Ursa double-checked the group. He wasn't there.

"Where's Hakoda?" she asked quietly.

"Not here," one of the men immediately answered. "He went to Ba Sing Se for more supplies. We were in dire need of building supplies to fix up the ships."

"But he left a message for Bato…he asked for you to meet him in Ba Sing Se as soon as you arrived."

Watching Bato nod out of the corner of her eye, Ursa jumped in: "Can I come?"

Bato smiled knowingly. "Of course."

**xXxXxXxXx**

"This is madness," Ursa groaned.

"This is Earth Kingdom," Bato replied with equal strain as they worked together to shove a gigantic boulder away from their new campsite.

They had been hiking for nearly two weeks; one week longer than necessary due to the Ba Sing Se's eastern ferry port being closed for the season. There was a sign in the area that the southern port was the only one open at the moment.

So, the two trudged on, unfortunately taking a wrong turn when they reached the fork in the road near Omashu. Instead of cutting up north to the next ferry port, they accidentally misread the signs and headed east instead.

Somehow, they found themselves along the coast of the ocean. They were tired and confused as to why they ended up here, so they decided to pitch camp for the night and get their bearings straight before morning.

At least their timeframe wasn't too rushed; Hakoda had only been in Ba Sing Se for three weeks. As far as they understood, Hakoda not only went to buy supplies, but he also needed to speak with the Earth King regarding the permissibility of ambushing Fire Nation ships in the bay outside of the city. He would be waiting for an appointment for at least another three weeks.

Right now, Ursa was utterly exhausted. As she lay down and gazed up at the cool, clear blue sky, she sadly remembered the days she used to spend on the beach on Ember Island with her kids. Azula was always off exploring the ocean or creating magnificent sandcastles. Zuko, however, was perfectly content resting on the sand next to his mom.

Ursa hadn't brought up the subject of her son since the first day she met up with Bato; she sure wished there was someone she could talk to. She missed him so much, but it just would have been too awkward talking about him in front of Bato.

_Hakoda would probably understand_…_he hasn't seen his kids in nearly two years,_ Ursa thought about telling him, but quickly shook the idea away. _No way, if he found out that my kids were also the Firelord's kids…that would be awful._

Just as she closed her eyes to take a nap, she heard the sky rumble and the air grow unusually hot. Even through her closed eyelids, she saw a flash of white light and heard a deafening _crack_.

She bolted upright, and saw Bato staring out at the ocean.

"What was that?"

"I…I just saw lightning!" Bato exclaimed. "Lightning during the day…? But, that's unheard of…"

"No it's not," Ursa replied suddenly, a look of horror washing over her face.

Bato looked at her questioningly. "But there are no clouds, or storm or…_anything_."

"That's because the lightning didn't come from nature…it came from a firebender."

Bato's eyes widened as he leaped up to inspect where the lightning had come from. Ursa followed and from behind the giant boulder, they noticed a giant black ship in the ocean a quarter of a mile or so away.

"We need to get out of here," Ursa said at once, trying to hide the fact that she recognized the ship.

Sensing her urgency, Bato ran back to pack up the supplies.

"No time," Ursa hissed. A couple hundred feet ahead of them, they already heard angry shouts and feet charging in their direction. If they didn't get out of here, they'd be ambushed any second…

Sure enough, flames of orange and yellow blasted through the trees, causing cinders and sparks to fly everywhere.

"I heard people talking over here!" a man's deep voice growled over the sounds of fire blasting in every direction.

"Let's go!" she grabbed Bato's wrist, and they took off without any of their supplies. They ran into the treed area, for the dirt path would have been far too obvious.

After two minutes of running, they reached an area that had been cleared of the strange, pink-leaved trees; at the point where the land was divided by a raging river. The bridge that spanned the length of the river wasn't just a bridge; it was a small resort-town.

Bato shrugged to Ursa as they decided that trying to blend in with the townsfolk was better than attempting to hide among the trees. At the sound of soldiers approaching behind them, they resumed running.

Once they were towards the middle of the bridge, they rounded a corner and were met by a giant crowd. They were all facing a group of people clad in red Fire Nation attire up towards the front.

Ursa could vaguely make out the figure of a woman holding up a poster. She couldn't see the pictures or what was written on it, but part of her worried that it was a wanted poster of her and Bato…

"Anyone who harbors these traitors will face the wrath of the Firelord," the woman's frighteningly harsh voice rang out across the area.

If it weren't for her panic, Ursa would have recalled hearing the voice before. But now that the Fire Nation was onto them…they had to get out of there before the civilians recognized the two and turned them in to the woman up front.

"There will be no place left to hide," the cold voice added as Ursa and Bato threw their hoods over their heads and pushed their way through the outer portion of the crowd. Thankfully, they just had to get down the walkway and to the right before they could make it safely to the other side of the river.

Bato noted that all of the resort people were clothed in the same pinkish-purple robes. Dressed in rich blue parkas, they must have looked terribly out of place. However, that wouldn't matter if they could just sneak back into the trees on the opposite shore.

The girl up front was still glaring out over the crowd, searching for one last hint of the fugitives.

"Uh, Princess?" one of the masked guards behind her pointed to her left. Her carefully trained eyes instantly spotted the two blue-coated people slowly winding their way through the thick crowd. Water Tribe trash.

"Follow me," she commanded the two men, who summoned three more guards to also follow along.

She silently glided down the stairs and the crowd parted for her; most were still wondering who the heck the girl was…

_Interesting,_ Azula noted; when her prey crossed the bridge and onto solid ground, they began running for their lives. Very suspicious, indeed.

She was much faster and much more agile than them, but her guards didn't have the endurance to keep up. She would have to either find a shortcut or face them alone. She chose the former, in case there was trouble, she could always sacrifice a guard or two. It would be worth it.

Just before she entered the grove of sickeningly rosy trees, Azula saw one of their hoods fall back.

Somewhat shocked by the sight, Azula halted and stared. The woman's long, _black_ hair whipped in the wind behind her for a mere two or three seconds before she got the hood back over her head again; not once did she slow down as she adjusted it.

_Water Tribe people don't have black hair, do they? _Azula wondered as she continued stalking the two once more.

"Think we're safe?" Bato panted as they ran side-by-side along the river. His lungs were burning, and he hadn't seen anyone come after them…

Ursa slowed and nodded. Both of them were nearly out of breath, for they had been sprinting for quite some time. Luckily, it looked like no one had followed them, so now they could just hike upriver from there.

They walked over to the water and scooped as much water into their dry mouths as they could. Ursa knew the water was probably somewhat contaminated, but that didn't bother her…until she saw two big locks of human hair floating down the river, that is.

"Ach!" Ursa gagged as she stood up and spit out as much water as she could. "That's disgusting."

Curious, Bato waded out a couple of feet into the mostly calm river and retrieved the hair.

"Hey, maybe we should return these to their owners," he joked as he looked upstream.

"Ew, Bato…"

Suddenly, she heard the faintest _whoosh_ sound come from behind her. She froze immediately and waited. Bato was too busy examining the hair to notice it, but Ursa knew from experience…basic _instinct_…what it was…

In what seemed like slow motion, Ursa pivoted on her right foot and spun around, just in time to see a blast of blue fire aimed at her from some invisible firebender in the trees. She barely even had time to blink as her hand unconsciously reached up and rerouted the blue flames to the nearest tree. At the sight of the tree catching fire, Ursa whirled around to conceal her identity from the blue-flamed attacker.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bato glancing at her, clearly mortified at the possibility that she had just blown their cover…

"Curious," a frighteningly cruel voice came from the trees behind them. Neither Bato nor Ursa moved to see who it was.

"I could have _sworn_ I was attacking two Water Tribe peasants," she continued, sounding disappointed. More footsteps soon joined her. Ursa gasped as two pairs of red-clothed arms grabbed Bato and pulled him away. Apparently his mouth was covered, since all she could hear was him grunting furiously behind her. However, she didn't _dare_ turn around. While he was truly Water Tribe, it would be obvious just by looking at her hair and eyes that she was definitely _not_. Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest, only vaguely aware of what was going on…

After a moment of studying the infuriated hostage and determining that he wasn't anything more than a simple savage, the girl clucked her tongue on the roof of her mouth disapprovingly. "I must say that I'm slightly surprised to see a firebender cowering under Water Tribe rags," she said in an eerily soft tone directed to Ursa.

She walked to the right of Ursa and continued: "Now, unless you're somehow the Avatar, I'm left to assume that not only are you an imposter, but a traitor to your own nation."

Ursa felt sweat trickling down her face. That voice…_where_ had she heard that voice before?

The girl came up right in front of her; Ursa instantly lowered her head before either woman could see the other's face. The girl silently reached for Ursa's hood, but Ursa was too quick. She grabbed the girl by the wrist and held it firmly, as though proving that she wasn't afraid. But the girl didn't struggle against her grip, she merely laughed.

"Funny," she began, her tone icier than winter again. "I only know of one person who ever had such fast reflexes. And, she also turns out to be the only prominent female traitor to the Fire Nation I know of…"

Her other hand snatched Ursa's hood and pulled it back slowly.

"Hello Mother."

"Azula?" Completely forgetting her earlier panic, Ursa's shoulders relaxed as she pulled Azula towards her and hugged her. It had been so long since she had seen her!

Azula's eyes widened at first; she clearly hadn't expected _that_ to happen. After just a second of embracing, however, she pulled backwards and out of her mother's grip.

Ursa just blinked, her heart was filled with irrational joy. This girl had just captured Bato, and she had attacked her from behind. Not only that, but she was currently looking for traitors.

_But,_ Ursa realized. _That poster couldn't have been meant for us…this is my daughter…_

While most of her time in banishment had been spent fretting over Zuko, Azula was the next best thing. And, Ursa noted, Azula had matured into a beautiful young lady.

"How did you know it was me?" Ursa asked with breathless happiness.

Azula's eyebrow rose. Apparently her mother was under the impression that this was a friendly meeting…

"How quickly you forget," Azula replied darkly; at the tone of her voice, Ursa frowned, wondering what had happened to the innocent daughter she knew. "Did you really believe that I wouldn't recognize my first master?"

_Duh_, Ursa thought to herself. Somehow, she really _had_ forgotten that she was the first one to teach Azula when she was just a little kid. Of course, she was exceptional with her element…but her ambitions had driven her to the point of asking Ozai for lessons instead of her. Ursa vaguely remembered something about her refusal to teach the then-eight year old how to create lightning…

"What are you doing here?" Ursa asked her at last. By now, she had regained her senses and realized that Azula wasn't here for a happy little reunion…but, still! It was her daughter; she wouldn't do anything to her…right?

"Well, right now I'm hunting down a traitor, actually," Azula remarked as she eyed Ursa's Water Tribe clothing.

Looking down at her clothes, Ursa chuckled nervously. "Oh, these? Well, I wouldn't say…"

"I also recall hearing about the incident on Zhao's ship…"

"That was…"

"_And_," Azula cut her off, her anger towards her mother rising rapidly. "If you truly are not a traitor, explain why you're traveling with this peasant."

Ursa finally turned around and saw Bato for the first time in several minutes. He was tied up pretty well, and had a dirty rag shoved in his mouth to keep him from speaking. The soldiers held him with a tight grip on his arms, to the point where the blood flow was so restricted that his arms fell asleep.

His eyes were wide; while learning about Zuko was bad enough, seeing Ursa _with_ her daughter freaked him out even more. What if Ursa turned on him for _her_?

"He's…" Ursa strained to think of something to say that would sound like the truth, but nothing came out.

"Useless? Well, I agree."

She turned to face the soldiers; the evil smirk on her face unseen by her clueless mother.

"He's not a peasant!" Ursa called out to Azula, but her words were drowned out by the raging river.

"Throw him in the river," she commanded them.

The two guards nodded and dragged their resistant hostage to the raging water's edge.

"No!" Ursa screamed. "Please!"

The men paused for a moment and looked to Azula for further instruction. She simply nodded to the water. They heaved Bato into the air and swung his body back and forth a couple of times before launching him into the water. His head bobbled on the surface for a moment before his body began plunging deeper and deeper into the water. His arms flung wildly, and Ursa could hear him yelling something, but she couldn't understand him.

"Oops, too late," Azula sneered unapologetically.

"BATO!" Ursa shrieked as she watched his head submerge below the chaotic currents. Three soldiers had come over to constrain her now…before she did anything to their leader.

"Bato! Bato!"

"Bato, Bato!" Azula mocked her mother cruelly. "He's gone! He got what he deserved, as you will in due time!"

Ursa felt sick; the thought of losing Bato and having to explain his death to the all Water Tribe men made her sicker. Losing control of her senses, she vomited lightly on the soldiers who were constraining her, making them release her in disgust.

She stumbled away from them and tried drunkenly running towards the river. It was no use, but she would try…

Suddenly, she saw a head poke out of the water several yards downriver. It was Bato.

Miraculously, he managed to kick his way through the furious river's currents and land onshore. His face was covered in nasty cuts from the sharp rocks below the river, but at least he was alive.

"Bato run!" Ursa shrieked as quiet tears of joy slipped down her face. He was alive…Bato was actually _alive…_

Hearing Ursa's desperate pleas, Bato wasted no time in running for the trees. His water-laden clothes definitely slowed him as he tried rushing his way up the sandy bank, but at least he hadn't broken any bones…he could still move, at least…

"Run?" Azula jeered in a scarily high-pitched voice. She turned her attention to the now-escaping man on the opposite bank of the river. "Where is he going to run?"

With a malicious smirk on her face, Azula concentrated. Ursa felt the air grow immensely hot again, and, to her horror, Azula was easily channeling the blue lightning through the tips of her fingers…

Ursa didn't even have time to react: the lightning released through Azula's fingertips with a terrible _crack!_

Bato hadn't even noticed the lightning, but to Ursa's relief, he had finally made it to the trees and disappeared. The supercharged bolt struck the trees where Bato had just run through; Azula's accuracy was amazing…

Then, there was an explosion. Blue fire erupted everywhere amongst the trees, and it literally rained down fire. It spread quickly through the grove; so quickly, there was no way a non-bender would be able to survive in that.

"_BATO!_" Ursa cried out in a muffled scream. She flung herself against the restraints of the soldiers with all her might, and to her surprise, they released her. Ursa ran up to Azula, ready to strike her as hard as she could. She was completely blinded with rage, nothing mattered right now…

Just before she reached Azula, the girl held her arm up, but continued gazing indifferently at the raging wildfire she had just created.

"Are you _really_ going to kill me..._me_, your own _daughter_…for some Water Tribe man?" she asked her quietly.

Ursa stopped. Azula always knew what to say, and she definitely hadn't lost that ability in the years of Ursa's absence. Azula probably just _killed_ the man whom had been her close traveling companion for the last several months. The one whom had saved her by letting her join him in the first place…

And yet…even though she felt deeply connected to Bato…Azula was right. Azula was her daughter…she couldn't bring herself to even touch her. Instead she dropped to her knees and muffled a sob.

"Why?" Ursa whispered, wondering what had happened to the daughter she thought she knew. "_Why?_"

Azula turned around and faced her mother, looking almost surprised that she was still there. Shrugging, she responded carelessly: "I did my duty to the Fire Nation. "Less trash in my world, the better."

_Her world?!_ Ursa thought angrily. _This…this isn't Azula…I know Azula…this isn't her…_

"Monster," she snarled to the girl whom she _thought_ was her daughter. Tears streaked her dirt-covered face, giving her the pathetic appearance of a lowly peasant.

For a moment, Ursa thought she saw a flicker of…_hurt_ cross Azula's face. It was just an instant: her eyes widened, and her mouth opened, as though she was unsure of how to respond to that insult.

Immediately, it was replaced with an expression of pretend-hurt. Azula walked up right into her face, to where they were nearly touching noses. Ursa stared into the girl's eyes for a long time. Gone was the vibrant joy she had once seen in both her children's faces. All she saw now…was _emptiness_.

If this was all she had to look forward to when she saw Zuko again…she almost _didn't_ want to see him again.

Azula's breathing was steady, but Ursa's heart was racing.

"Monster?" Azula repeated almost inaudibly. She inched her face to Ursa's ear and whispered: "Perhaps I am now."

Instantly, Ursa felt a crushing blow to the side of her face, and her entire world went black.

**Gah, Azula…I kind of got the idea from "The Avatar and the Firelord," actually (Roku shows Sozin mercy, Sozin still betrays him). Well, sorry for such a long wait…this was actually the longest chapter yet! 7,000+ words o_O**

**Hope you guys liked it, and chapter nine will undoubtedly be my favorite to write…but I think it'll ****break my heart****. I won't give any details, but it's bound to be more intense and even more depressing than this chapter (if that's even possible). We'll either see Hakoda next chapter, or in chapter ten, but he's coming soon, I promise. **

**As always, comments/complaints/ideas are incredibly appreciated! :)**


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